Glaze Test Tiles

Essential Question:

What does Quality mean in regards to ceramics? Quality in ceramics means to produce some form of anything that is done and polished with 100% of your effort to go beyond and exceed. It is something that distinctly exceeds, and that you are pleased with.

Purpose:

• To create six equally formed tiles

• To demonstrate the effects of layering glaze colors

• To develop glazing skills

• To contribute to a test tile wall for current and future ceramics students

Reflection:

“Quality” in ceramics is producing work that you feel you’ve put 110% effort into. Whether that be smooth edges, a beautiful pattern, lots of time and hard work, working with the shape, a beautiful glaze, etc., if you feel proud of your work and feel that time and effort was contributed into producing a stunning piece of art, then that to me, is quality. Moreover, setting your standards high from the beginning so you can work with the idea of having such a goal in your mind makes quality easy to work with, because you’re trying to achieve something you want to, and by doing so, when we put our minds to this, we are truly capable of producing something that goes above and beyond with all aspects of effort and artistic skill involved. I don’t think satisfied is a word to have in mind when you’re going for a “quality” piece of work. Because if you’re only “satisfied” with your art, then I wouldn’t say that is exceeding what you’re going for. Going above and beyond and trying your best by producing thorough work is essential in ceramics. With all of this in mind, this is what I would best define as “quality” in ceramics.

When I first glanced at my tiles, I noticed that the transparent pearl I used for the base, really didn’t stand out, and so the color on the right was really what drew attention to my eye. That being said, the transparent pearl gave my tiles a shine, and therefore making the color on the right pop. The colors had oozed into the cracks and design going across, creating a fantastic detail. It is apparent which sides on the tiles have more glaze on them, which I love, because it’s like the tile has so much to it. It has light colors, dark colors, subtle colors, etc. The colors are even a bit mixed in with each other, creating even more of a unique detail on my tiles. You can clearly see which parts of the tile had more glaze over, and how other colors were much lighter and not as vibrant. I expected this, because frankly, I knew the transparent pearl was such a light color, and so I was immediately attracted to the part of the tile that had the most glaze cover. In addition to, another detail I love is the diverse colors on the tiles. Some are light a cool, like the light blue, where others are strong and hot, like the red. This creates the tiles to have their own individual look, which I appreciate and love.

Throughout this exercise, I came in with the idea that I had to perfect the glaze and do multiple coats so that the color would pop, and instead I learned that by just following and doing a light glaze, the kiln will do the work in creating the textures and enhancing colors and shininess on the tiles. By following the directions and not perfecting everything, the work will come out very unique, and I was quite satisfied with the result. Another thing that benefitted me from this exercise was experimenting with different patterns. For example, I used the rings on my fingers, and ended up loving the result. The patterns do not have to be simple or complicated, and if you use something to create a pattern that you think will look good, you will most likely be satisfied. Lastly, I learned lots about glaze with this project. For example, I came into it not having much experience with glaze, and I shortly realized that glaze is much different than any paint or anything. Glaze dries incredibly fast, which is something that I learned amidst glazing my tiles. Glaze is also very subtle, and even another coat can make a difference in the color pop and even creates a thicker texture. I learned about both underglaze and regular glaze, and the differences they have from each other but about how in the end, they come together in the kiln and work to create the texture and overall look of the glaze. These are all such essential pieces of information that will most definitely help me in the future, especially since we are doing lots of work with glaze.