For fourteen years, Center volunteer and avid hiker, Esther
Greenfield, has been finding and drawing historic aspen carvings, recording
them in a journal during her outings. Her friend and neighbor, ceramicist Mary
Kay Harrell, approached Esther two months ago asking if she would like to
collaborate on a new pottery project.After the pots have dried thoroughly, up to a week, they are bisque fired so that they can be handled without breaking. It is at this stage that the glazing is done. The white crackle glaze is applied with a brush, using three coats to get the right thickness and coverage. The pots are then placed into the cold kiln, the door is shut tight, and the burners are lit, one by one, letting the temperature rise gradually to about 1700 degrees.
When the pots are smooth, shiny and glistening, the kiln is turned off letting the temperature drop slightly. Only when they are completely cooled can they be taken out to reveal the results.
“We hope for the best,” says Esther, “you never know how they are going to turn out.”
Each one is unique and different depending on the glaze application, and the action of the firing and the cooling process, trying to achieve the "crackle effect" that is associated with Raku pottery.
Furthermore, Esther explains why this pottery is more than just pots. They have stories to tell. "This collection of hand-made pottery tells a story of those long-ago days of herders and cowboys who left their messages in the trees. Each pot is absolutely unique and each has carvings that reflect messages from one man to another, love and longing in the woods, wild things in the woods, poignant ‘remember me’ messages, brands and boundary markers. Many are quite old, and sadly, many will never be seen again as the trees, with their messages, are now gone."
These pots are selling quickly, even before the price tags can be placed.
To purchase these unique ceramics, please visit Dietz’s Market, the Durango
Arts Center or the San Juan Mountains Association bookstore at the Public Lands
Center.