Hugh Bridgeford's Profile on BoundlessGallery.com

Member since:
Dec-13-07
Registered in:
United States

I have made a long trip from pottery to high tech artforms and back again. Trained in wheel thrown ceramics originally in high school, I went on to study printmaking in college, then earn my masters degree in computer animation. Over the last seven years I have made a progressive return to ceramics. I love the literal hands-on involved in making and firing pots and it excites me to see the states the pots pass through. From a chunk of clay the pot becomes hard and durable, the liquid glaze passes through a state of fluidity to [see more]

I have made a long trip from pottery to high tech artforms and back again. Trained in wheel thrown ceramics originally in high school, I went on to study printmaking in college, then earn my masters degree in computer animation. Over the last seven years I have made a progressive return to ceramics. I love the literal hands-on involved in making and firing pots and it excites me to see the states the pots pass through. From a chunk of clay the pot becomes hard and durable, the liquid glaze passes through a state of fluidity to its glasslike state. After all this my fingerprints can sometimes be found on the finished pot.

The pots in this exhibit represent my interest in western Raku style pottery. This is a variation of the pottery that developed in Japan during the 16th century in response to what was felt to be an over refinement of the ceramic implements used in the tea ceremony. In the western variation the glazed pots are plucked from the fire at around 1450-1800°F (glowing red) and set into piles of combustible material . As the materials burst into flame the pots are covered or enclosed in airtight containers. The oxygen within is quickly devoured by the flame leading to a reducing environment. This results in the shades of black apparent in the unglazed portions of the pot. The pots also go through thermal shock as they are moved from the kiln to the reduction chamber often resulting in fine cracks within the glaze. Both of these qualities are unique to Raku pots.
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