A few years ago I was at a arts and
crafts fair and came across a man with these beautifully glazed pieces.
I can not remember his name, but I am pretty sure that man was
William Melstrom. He is well known for his crystalline glazes and if
you've seen his work you'd know why. His pieces are stunning to look
at and although you might just want to hang them on a wall they are
also functional. Melstrom has spent years perfecting this technique
and it really shows. You can see Melstrom's website here.
It also shows that ceramics is at least
two different beasts. One beast is with clay and getting it into
the shape you want. The second is far more terrifying: glazing. Glazing was never really
my strong suit. In fact I remember when a professor in college told
me that I really needed to work on glazing. I remember thinking,
“Well it would be nice if I could first get the clay into the shape
I want it first.” That was years ago no, I think my point has been made about the beasts of the ceramic world.
Glazes to create crystal effects has become
increasingly more popular and although they will not give you results like Melstrom's, there are
commercial crystal glazes. Some of the more known crystal glazes are
from Mayco and Amaco. These glazes usually come in liquid form and
have crystal chunks in them. They need to be stirred well since the crystals usually sink to the bottom. They can either be dipped or brushed onto bisqueware. These crystal glazes provide unique color variations
that can be quite intense at times. All crystal glazes are low-fire
glazes and are an easy way to give your pieces a little splash of contrast.
My favorites are:
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| Singed Maple Crystaltex |
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| Berryberry Pie Crystalites |
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| Obsidian Jungle Gem Glaze |
