Bonnie Staffel

Charlevoix, Michigan, USA

Title: Pit Fired Vase

Year of Creation: 2009

Glaze: None

Clay Body: Stoneware

Dimensions: Height 18 inches, Width 6 inches

Artist's Statement: I have always had a love affair with copper reds and experimented in many ways to achieve this color over the span of my career. When working with Ed Gray at his studio, we each wanted to explore pit firing more intensely. We fired many pots working on the process. Now that my ability to pit fire is no longer possible, I have been exploring getting color through smoke firing. Now I can get turquoise blue cloud along with the regular smoke pattern. After sixty years of potting, I keep looking for new challenges and am now working on the color blue in this method.