Ash Glazes (Rogers)

by Phil Rogers

Hardcover: 176 pages
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press; Second Edition (2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0-8122-3721-8
Dimensions: 11.1" x 9.0" x 0.7"
Shipping Weight: 2.19 lbs.

Ash glaze, as the name suggests, is a glaze derived from ashes. The earliest ash glazes can be traced back to the Shang period in China (c. 1500BC). It is thought they were produced accidentally—the result of white-hot wood ash being carried through the kiln with the draft of the fire and settling onto the pots, where the searing heat melted it to a glass. Three thousand years later, wood ash remains an important and immensely popular feature of pottery glaze making.

For the modern potter, the satisfaction of working with ash glazes comes from following an ancient tradition as well as from using materials that occur naturally. The results of different wood ashes often vary dramatically, making it possible to achieve a wide range of unique finishes. Even wood from the same species of tree garnered just miles apart can produce subtly different results.

In this second edition, Phil Rogers covers the history of ash glazes and proceeds to discuss the practicalities of collecting and testing wood ashes and transforming them into glazes. In the final portion of the book, he looks at the work of some leading international potters whose work is typified by the array of finishes that they achieve through their use of wood ash glazes. Images of their work offer an impressive display of the colors and techniques possible through this glazing technique.