SM Edo Jar w Waterfall Carving Teadust

Ben Owen III Seagrove, NC 

Teadust is a glaze that Chinese potters created while accidentally over-firing earthenware red pots and melting the clay to a puddle. With experimentation, these potters eventually developed glazes from testing these ingredients to produce a black glaze. Today, Ben has developed his own versions of a black glaze with the addition of iron, calcium, and, magnesium oxide. While researching about slow cooling processes after the firing in the wood kiln, he found small proxyene crystals would form on his pots that had a mustard yellow to green color. A satin to matte finish is created from the crystals on the surface. If it is allowed to cool quickly the finish will be a solid glossy black. If it was placed in a salt firing atmosphere it would be olive green (Frogskin).