Sara Baker Stoneware
Glazes for Functional Pots

The following are the glazes I use on my functional pots. Most of the glazes are combinations—two or three glazes applied in succession by dipping, pouring, or spraying. These combinations give the finished pot a subtlety and richness that could not be achieved with one simple glaze.

		Purple and Purple Combination A portion of the pot in the peacock glaze and the entire piece gets covered by the copper red glaze. This creates a very vibrant purple with variations and color range over the peacock.
		Peacock and Purple Combination The peacock glaze is a dark greenish blue shiny glaze which covers the whole piece. Then I pour or dip portions of the pot in the copper red glaze which creates a wide range of purples and magentas with occasional blue highlights. The final result depends on the atmosphere and temperature in the kiln: the hotter the kiln, the greater the depth and richness of colors in the glaze.
		Purple and Black Combination I dip the entire piece in an iron-rich shiny black glaze called Tenmoku. This produces an exceptionally rich color of great depth which varies from dark brown to black with occasional hints of green. Around the top of the pot I dip or pour a copper red; this glaze usually runs a little, creating an undulating line where it meets the underlying black. The copper red actually ranges from deep burgundy red through bright magenta to dark purple, sometimes with blue highlights. In a particularly hot firing, if it runs enough to thin out at the pot's rim, this glaze tends toward greens and browns.
		Purple and Speckly Gray Combination First I apply the copper red glaze to portions to the pot. Then I cover the remaining areas of the pot with a matte-black glaze. A shiny white glaze goes over the black. The interaction of the black and white glazes can vary in color from greenish-blue to bluish-white with black speckles of varying size and frequency. The copper red glaze varies from a dark burgundy to magenta to purple.

Please note—Dimensions listed are to the nearest inch. Pots are individual works and vary slightly in size and shape. Glaze color, pattern, and texture vary between pots and firings, giving handmade pots their individual character. Greater, though not complete, consistency can be achieved in a custom-ordered group of pots made at the same time. Colors shown are subject to distortion because of monitor & browser settings.

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