About The Artist
John George became passionately involved with clay work in 1974. His love of clay led him to apprentice with fine ceramicists and teachers for the better part of a decade. John began his career as a ceramist in 1984 using four distinct styles of functional dinnerware: hand-thrown/carved vessels, rock ware, glazed stoneware, and finally the most delicate of all - porcelain dinnerware.
Focusing On One Medium
In 1997 John began to work exclusively with porcelain and crystalline glazes because – simply put- they created the most beautiful ceramic works he had ever seen. From that moment on, John’s work focused exclusively on crystalline glaze and its metamorphoses on porcelain clay. John is not simply an artist who had a dalliance with this medium. He embraced it wholly, spending days at a time in his studio, exploring every theory and idea. The crystalline glaze pottery has become his magnum opus, his masterpiece; his life’s work.
Why is this artwork so rare?
The crystalline glazed porcelain requires more finesse, more steps, more complicated firing schedules than any normal ceramicist would venture to complete. The process takes far more time out of the artist to create original art works – an expensive but rewarding journey. While macro-crystals form in the kiln at 2350 degrees F, the artist has little control over how big the crystals grow or how many crystals form.
Crystalline Glaze Pottery: A Risky Business
John does everything an artist can do - investing dozens of hours of time for each batch – and then must turn his creation over to the sometimes unpredictable properties of natural fire. Each firing takes 22 hours, and in the end an artist might throw away two-thirds of the pieces to just find that one piece that makes it all worth it. The experience is part art, part science, and part sheer wonder. There is always a surprise after a firing when one sees how the crystals have grown into truly unique piece of art. No one design can be exactly duplicated, no matter how fine the artist. Each piece you own is undeniably yours.
Recipe for Success
The Artist has arrived at the recipes for his porcelain clay, crystal glazes and color combinations through years of trial and error. He also constructs his own models & molds for every shape he produces. Today, John is creating the most beautiful wares he has ever made. We hope you will partake in this wondrous experience and select one of John’s art pieces for your very own.
John George Studio
Copyright © 2008 All Rights Reserved
