Linda Bloomfield
Location
London, UK
About
Linda Bloomfield is a potter and author of Colour in Glazes and Special Effect Glazes. She trained in engineering and has a PhD in materials science, having worked as a visiting scholar at at MIT, a researcher at NEC in Japan and a research fellow at Imperial college in London. She now runs her pottery business in London designing and making porcelain tableware and teaches glaze workshops around Europe.
Artist Statement
Demonstration: Special Effect Glazes
Linda Bloomfield will demonstrate making a special effect volcanic glaze and explain what each material contributes to the glaze. She will explain how how to adjust the glaze to get different effects and colours. She will show a selection of special effect glaze tests: crater, crawl, metallic and oilspot glazes, discuss what can go wrong when mixing and firing glazes and answer questions on special effect glazes.
Special Effect Glazes.
Crawl, crater, crackle and crystal glazes; a summary of their properties and how to make your own special effect glazes.
Linda Bloomfield, author of Special Effect Glazes will explain how a deeper understanding of materials and what they contribute to a glaze helps ceramicists gain control over their surfaces. She will set out the properties of these glazes by showing areas on the Stull map (a graph of alumina against silica) where they are located; crawl, crater, crackle and crystalline glazes. She will explain the principles of making special effect glazes that are often outside the boundaries defining defect-free, glossy glazes. Many special effects are forms of glaze defect; crazing, crawling, pinholes and blisters can produce special effect glazes known as crackle, lichen and lava glazes. Once artists discover the techniques used to create these effects, they will be able to experiment and make their own unique glazes.