Bonnie Staffel on fri 28 nov 03
Hi Clayarters,
When I was operating my own studio in Charlevoix in the 70's/80's, I mixed
my own clay formula and did many tests to prove it to be serviceable for
ovenware, firing at cone 9/10 oxidation. I would make pieces and give them
to my neighbors and friends to test for me. Through this method, I was able
to develop my own clay body that my glaze fit through the rigors of using
them in the oven. When I moved to North Carolina, did not have my own clay
any more but found an ovenware clay at Highwater in Asheville. While it
didn't have the same qualities as my own clay, it was a good one, accepted
my glaze and decoration techniques. When I returned to Charlevoix in the
90's, I began searching for an ovenware clay source closer to northern
Michigan. Out of all the catalogs I only found one new source from a
company in Illinois. However, my glaze did not fit well so continued to
order my clay from Highwater. My search for a source for ovenware clay went
on but never found such a clay advertised.
I no longer am making ovenware because I want to put production behind me at
this time in my life and pursue pit firing as well as making videos of my
methods. I submitted my video of Throwing with Slabs and Coils to Steven
Branfman, The Potters Shop, and was delighted and honored that he ordered
some for his next catalog.
Warm Regards,
Bonnie Staffel, Charlevoix, MI
http://pws.chartermi.net/~bstaffel/
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