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custom sculpture for Michael &
Becca Brodarick Louisville, KY
63"h x 32"w
Klinsky Ceramics
Encinitas, California
-to contact -
saklinsky@klinskyceramics.com
760 274-5526 While the majority
of crystalline ceramists use an electric kiln, programming it to fire automatically, all of my firings are done in a gas kiln,
requiring my attention and hands-on adjustment of temperature for up to 24 hours. The little bit of fumes from the gas firing,
compared to the pristine atmosphere of electric firing, have a slight effect on the colors, setting my glazes apart from many
others.
My ceramics are all hand thrown on a potter's wheel. Whether made
of porcelain or stoneware, they are all crystalline glazed. This process requires me to make a catch tray for each piece,
and a donut/stilt for each piece to stand on as the glaze runs freely off of the piece. As the temperature climbs during the
firing process, zinc silicate crystals form spontaneously and run down the piece fusing it to the donut/stilt and catch tray.
At the right moment, the temperature is dropped rapidly to a specific temperature where the crystals actually grow in the
still fluid glaze. This growing temperature must be carefully maintained for 3-8 hours, or longer. When cooled the crystals
are a permanent decoration. After cooling, the stilt must be carefully removed and the bottom of the piece ground smooth to
remove sharp or jagged pieces of glaze. With crystalline glazes, at least one third of the pieces fired are not successful
enough to sell, but the successful ones can be spectacular. Because of the randomness of the crystal formation, no two pieces
will be exactly the same.
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