Tuesday, August 01, 2006



Saggar Fire Research Project
Clay Arts Utah is sponsoring a Saggar Fire Research Project. Every week, anyone from Clay Arts Utah may bring and fire a clay saggar for free at the Pioneer Craft House and Farmers' Market. The only requirement is that the artist bring a list of the ingredients that went into the saggar. Different temperatures and holding times are being tested. Even children that come to the farmers' market may get involved by putting together mini saggars. Results from each firing are photographed and posted on the Clay Arts, Utah website.

The exciting thing about this program is that all of the experimental information will be pooled. Artists can compare all of the firings to see which combustibles actually created which variables in color within the saggar and at what temperatures. Also, individual artists get to try new combinations every week without wracking up an enormous gas bill. In this last firing, I tested a wash of cobalt carbonate on the pot and got some very interesting pale blues, green/grays, and pinks (see pictures above and below). This project will be continuing all summer and throughout September. I'm very excited to see what fires up!


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