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Table Salt: A Review By Amy Gogarty

Table Sait was shown in the Gallery of BC
Ceramics June 2 to July 2, 2012

What is it about salt-firing that appeals to so
many potters? The process dates to the 15th
century in Germany, when salt-glazed wares
became the standard for sturdy, hygienic
and widely-traded ceramics in Early Modern
Europe. The process never disappeared, and,
indeed, its popularity seems to increase with
each new generation of potters. The exhibition
Table Salt, which features six Vancouver-area
potters, demonstrates a variety of approaches
to the process. The simplicity and beauty
of the work confirms salt-glazing’s timeless
appeal.

‘The process involves introducing table salt
(sodium chloride) into the kiln as it nears
temperature, causing the salt crystals to
decompose into their constituent parts. The
sodium mixes with the silica and alumina in
the clay to produce a shiny, glaze-like surface,
while the chlorine mixes with hydrogen
in the kiln atmosphere to escape up the
chimney as a gas. The artists in the show
use a variety of fuels including wood, oil,
natural gas and propane, each of which has
its own characteristics. Additional variations
are caused by the amount of salt used and
the position of the pot in the kiln. Variability
and. unpredictability contribute to the allure
of the process. Unfired pots are treated with
slips and stains, leaving the underlying form
of the pot revealed rather than obscured by
a thick glaze. Gail Carney, a potter and pot-
enthusiast, says that salt-glazing is almost like
having “naked pots...the fired pot resembles as
closely as possible its original state when taken
from the wheel—fluid, soft and moist.”

Most potters who salt-glaze plan their
forms to take maximum advantage of the
process. Forms tend to be simple, but small
details such as strongly ribbed walls, facets or
undercuts create surfaces that catch the salt,
creating zones of greater shine or contrast.
Gunda Stewart is a masterful thrower whose
forms look as soft and organic as when they
were just thrown on her slow-moving kick
wheel. She fires in a fast-fring wood kiln,
spraying in the salt near the end with a garden
sprayer. Her mugs and covered jars feature a
sensuous comingling of wood ash and satiny
salt surfaces, which invite handling as much
as looking. Sandra Ramos also fires with
wood, but her forms are more constrained
and. delicately detailed with tiny stamped

Sandra Ramos, from the Sunshine Coast, fires a wood kiln. Her work is a combination of

thrown and altered and handbuilt pieces.

designs. She combines throwing and altering
to create a series of small oval, footed serving
dishes with matching spoons, which come in
an array of muted colours.

Vincent Massey makes the most flamboyant
and gestural work, patterning jars and
casseroles with layers of slip that crawl and
become glassy under the application of heavy
salt. His use of strongly faceted forms enhances
the effect even further, Cathi Jefferson is best
known for her use of natural imagery: trees,
flowers, fish and other designs subtly mark
her toasty surfaces. Her sets of nesting bowls,
covered jars and sculptural forms incorporate
precise details such as lids that conform
closely or shaped components that fit together
in intricate ways. Her pyramidal sculptures,
covered with patches of slip and stain to
resemble trees, recall the mountain tops of her
Vancouver Island home.

Jackie Frioud fires her sandy stoneware in a
natural gas kiln. She focuses on nesting dishes
with kanthal wire handles, lidded canisters
with bird knobs and shallow hemispherical
cups. These come in several colours including
a lovely soft blue and a surprising brick red,

which is softened by the speckles in the clay
and the effects of the salt. The forms are
modern and deceptively simple; attention to
detail in terms of scale, proportion, handles
and rims make these little gems. Lari Robson
has produced his salt-glazed functional wares
on Salt Spring Island for many years. He uses
a very slow, labour-intensive oil-drip kiln that
“sends the salt around the kiln in constantly
fascinating and unexpected ways.” His forms
recall traditional English studio pots with
their generous strap handles and orange peel
surfaces.

Table Salt takes its name from the salt-glazing
process used by all the artists, yet it also refers
to functional pottery to be used at the table.
All six artists are masters of their craft, and by
exhibiting as a group, they show that variation
and individual identity still thrive within
boundaries imposed by technical challenges.
The exhibition highlights a fascinating and
complex process, yet its most important
effect is to affirm the importance of beautiful,
functional pottery in the lives of those who

love it.

Vincent Massey’s pottery is fired in a gas kiln in Whistler. His
generous forms and gestural decoration are distinctively his own.

Potters Guild of BC Newsletter « July/August 2012

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