Ceramics and Pottery Arts and Resources

 

 

Alex Mandli lidded saggar fired vessel

 

Organic ethereal hues merged with pastel palettes and a matt surface characterize the appearance of saggar fired pottery. The responsiveness of natural clays to various combustion materials used in the saggar firing process is strikingly highlighted by the creative fury and fusion expressed in the random dynamic details and atmospheric surface mystique, to reflect the spontaneous beauty of nature. I see fascinating surrealist, expressionistic landscapes when I look at the enchanting, natural designs that occur on the exterior of a saggar fired piece.

 

 

Alex Mandli, Wisconsin

 

“My current work seeks to perfect the very essence of making ceramics by focusing on just clay, water, and fire. The saggar firing process relies on the skill and experience I have developed over thirty years to create an environment of combustible materials that will use the fire as a painter uses a brush.”

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Where to buy

 

White earthenware clay pot, burnished, terra sigillata by Alex Mandli

 

 

Saggar Fired Pottery urn – Alex Mandli

 

 

Alex Mandli – Pit fired pottery (White earthenware clay, burnished, terra siggliata)

 

 

Alex Mandli saggar fired pottery

 

 

Alex Mandli street pottery throwing demo, Racine Art Museum

For Alex’s saggar pottery, each piece is thrown on the potter’s wheel from white earthenware clay that matures at (cone 04) 2,008 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

 Alex Mandli applying 3-5 coats of terra-sigillata (fine clay)

After the pots are thrown on a potter’s wheel they are burnished several times while drying, to smooth the surface and bring up the finer particles of clay. When the pots are leather hard, 3-5 coats of terra-sigillata are applied, followed by  polishing with a chamois.

 

 

Alex Mandli firing in a saggar encasing

Before the Saggar firing is pereformed in the kiln, a bisque firing is done at a relatively low temperature, which allows the clay body to absorb the effects of the combustible materials. Each saggar holds an individual pot packed with sawdust, hard woods, and a variety of combustible materials such as paper, straw, dry weeds, grass, iron, and ceramic colorants.

The saggar firing begins with a soft flame for the first hour, gradually increasing the temperature to 1500 degrees Fahrenheit over the next 4-8 hours. At this point, the burners are shut off, the openings are plugged, and the kiln remains undisturbed for 18-20 hours. After the firing, the pots are washed, allowed to dry for a week, and polished. No glaze is applied to the pots.

 

 

Pots cooling after a pit firing

 

 

Saggar pottery – Alex Mandli

The surface marks on this pot are made by soaking combustible materials in iron and salt water, resulting in a surprising marble-like effect.

 

 

 

Alex Mandli sculpture — ‘Michelangelo Tries Virtual Reality’

 

 

 

Pit Fired Pottery – Alex Mandli

 

 

Saggar Fired Pottery lidded vessel—Alex Mandli

 

 

Alex Mandli saggar fired lidded vessel

 

 

Alex Mandli saggar fired lidded ovoid vessel

 

 

Alex Mandli saggar fired bulbous vessel

White earthenware clay, burnished, terra sigillata

 

 

Alex Mandli saggar  vessel

 

 

Other pottery styles from Alex Mandli

 

Alex Mandli Ginkgo Series- Terracotta clay, black slip, terracotta slip trailing

 

 

Alex Mandli — Grapevine Series Terracotta clay, colored clay, sgraffito, slip trailing

 

 

Alex Mandli — Grapevine Series — Terracotta clay vessel with colored clay, sgraffito, slip trailing

 

 

Alex Mandli – Black & White Series White earthenware clay, black slip decoration, sgraffito, slip trailing, clear glaze

 

 

Alex Mandli – Black & White Series White earthenware clay, black slip decoration, sgraffito, slip trailing, clear glaze

 

 

Fish & Fishhead Serie- Muskellunge, terracotta clay, colored slips, clear glaze – Alex Mandli

 

 

Alex Mandli — Frederick’s of Hollywood Series- Terracotta clay, white and black slips, clear glaze

 

 

Alex Mandli – Grapevine Series– Terracotta clay, colored clay, clear glaze

 

 

Alex Mandli — Frederick’s of Hollywood Series

 

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Allison Brannen, Toronto

 

“I use various methods – hand building, wheel throwing and slip casting to create my work. I build my own molds. The surface of the piece is as important to me as the form. I apply several coats of terra sigillata then buff and bisque fire to cone 010. I apply another coat of terra sigillata before firing to cone 05. The saggar chamber is packed with wood chips, copper oxide, iron oxide and salt. This smoky reduction atmosphere produces some interesting results. I enjoy each part of the process from the wet forming to the buffing and marks of the fire on the finished pot. Finally I coat the piece with bees wax or varnish to protect the surface.”

Alison Brannen has been making art for 30 years, working primarily in clay for the past 20.

 

website

 

 

Allison Brannen saggar fired bowl

 

 

Allison Brannen saggar fired vase

 

 

Allison Brannen saggar fired vase

 

 

Allison Brannen saggar fired sculptural vessel

 

 

Allison Brannen raku fluted vessel

 

Allison Brannen saggar vase, Toronto

 

 

Allison Brannen saggar pottery

 

 

Allison Brannen wave sculpture saggar fired vessel

 

 

Allison Brannen decanter

 

 

Allison Brannen large saggar vessel

8″x16″

 

Saggar fired pottery- Allison Brannen

 

 

Saggar vessel – Allison Brannen

8″x 8″

 

 

Urn 1- Allison Brannen saggar fired baluster vase with horsehair highlights

 

 

 

Allison Brannen raku

 

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More saggar fired vessels

 

Alistairb Danhieux saggar fired vessel

France

 

 

Lauren Bellero saggar fired lidded vessel

 

 

M.Wein Sager vessel fired-in seaweed and copper carb. sprayed with cobalt chloride

Nelson Bay, Australia

 

 

Martin O’Neill — saggar ovoid vessel

UK

 

 

Pit fired spherical pot –Martin O’neill

 

 

Martin O’Neill -saggar pottery

 

 

Martin O’Neill. Saggar Fired vessel

 

 

Philippe Buraud & Jacqueline Hoerter

 

 

Judy Motzkin ‘Spirit Keeper Urn’  (opening at base)

 

 

 

Pit fired pottery by Judy Motzkin

 

Colleen O’Sullivan urn, NY

 

 

Judy Blake—Saggar fired pottery

 

 

 

Roque Martínez ovoid pit fired saggar vessel

 

 

M.Wein Sagger fired with crackle glazed top

 

 

Semi reduction SMOKE resist, negative decoration vessel by Gerasimo Sosa Alache of
Chulucanas Peru. 1978

See comment below from Gloria C Joyce