This morning I opened the ol’ Parragon 88 and found two of three pieces of work cracked during bisque fire.
The price I pay for the style of work that turns me on is frequent cracks and failures. Of course a more uniform thickness of the sculpture results in a higher success rate. Yes. I get that. The challenge then is representing a natural oyster and it’s variations of thickness and texture in porcelain in such a way it doesn’t crack during the drying process. If the piece dries completely without cracking, the odds of it surviving the bisque firing intact are pretty good. But with anything, there are no guarantees. Hence, I give you….The Boneyard.
I don’t know why we keep all of my work that missed the mark but we do and have from the beginning. Every couple of months we empty the space and relegate my sad little collection to boxes in the basement or recently to the garden in the yard. Yard Art.
The squirrels seem not to mind and the birds enjoy a good bath. I can live with that.
Jeff
