Splits Wave porcelain platter

If you look closely, you'll see the scars from the surface of the chopping block we use to split wood to fire the kiln behind me. You'll also see the imprint of the turkey tail mushrooms that grew on its face. All of the incidental, intentional marks are made by some unconventional tool or another, always in my left hand.

Each piece of HighFired ware begins with cannab!s and clay. I press an actual fan leaf into raw clay and construct the piece. All other marks are made one at a time with a crowlike collection of tools. The work is left to dry. In the bisque (first) firing (∆04/1798°F/981°C), the organic material burns away, leaving an incredibly detailed imprint, an accelerated fossil, if you will.

After brushing away the resulting ash from the leaf and collecting it for future use (ash melts starting around 2000°F/1093°C), I go over the fine details with an underglaze, letting it settle into the veins, then wash most of it away. More glaze might be applied with a mouth sprayer, by dipping, with brush, and fingers, or sometimes left bare if going into an atmospheric finish firing. It is then fired again to around  2300°F/1260°C in one of three kilns: salt, wood, or reduction, to create the rich, layered finishes you see here. The entire process from start to finish can take months.

Differences in clay bodies, glazes, and finishing kilns make for as wonderfully varied a complement of work as there is in its collectors.

Size is approximately 14.5"w x 9.25"h x 1.5"d. Top rack dishwasher-safe.