Allyson May on wed 23 jun 10
Hey Peter,
All alternative fired ceramic should be treated as any other piece of =3D
fine art. You wouldn't hang a fine oil painting in direct sunlight =3D
because the light will damage it. You must treat your ceramic art with =3D
the same care. I work in alternative fired ceramics focusing mainly on =3D
Naked Raku, Saggar and Black-fire. These smoky surfaces are fragile =3D
because they are not fired to vitrification...the clay remains porous =3D
and soft. The surfaces can be easily damaged by rough handling and =3D
direct sunlight.
I have several pieces of pueblo pottery which have been smoke fired. =3D
Some of them are very old. The smoke markings are still very black and =3D
rich. I have not noticed any change in them but I do protect them from =3D
direct sunlight. I have not noticed any of my own work fading even on =3D
pieces that are 10+ years old. Again I treat them as pieces of fine =3D
art.
As for sealers, many alternative fire artists use clear sealants. You =3D
must be careful not to get one that yellows over time. I have used tile =
=3D
sealer from Lowes (Jasco I think) on regular glazed raku to help hold =3D
copper matte glazes. It has worked well for these pieces. I have never =
=3D
used a sealant on my other alternative work because I prefer paste wax =3D
for these. The sealer, in my opinion, changes the look and feel of the =3D
surface...makes it look artificial. I can spot these sealed pots =3D
immediately. All this being said, a sealant will still not allow you to =
=3D
place a piece of smoke fired pottery in a window which receives direct =3D
sunlight...it will fade. Good luck in your search.
Peace,
Allyson May
www.stoneycreekpottery.com
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