Philip Green
Ceramic wall piecesI have been working with ceramics for several years, throwing on the wheel, handbuilding, and combining the two. I became energized by the making of Raku clocks. I love to take the extreme order of a clock face, surround it with chaos, and yield it to the unpredictability of the Raku firing process. The “chaos” is made from orderly geometric shapes such as circles, lines, triangles, and coupled with irregular shapes and textures.
Raku is an ancient and dynamic firing method which produces brilliant, unpredictable color on ceramic surfaces. Special raku glazes are applied which contain various minerals. The clock face is fired to a temperature in excess of 1800º F, then quickly removed and placed in a container with flammable dry materials such as shredded paper or wood shavings. The flashing, followed by a smothering and smoldering process, produces the chromatic surprises. No two could ever come out the same. Each has its own metallic swirls and iridescences. I am always excited to see what the final work will look like.
Phil Green began his pottery interest about 15 years ago. After retiring from a career in high-tech, he got more seriously into working with his hands. His intrigue with Raku firing began early. As he worked with pots and hand-built pieces, he began seeing the possibilities when raku glazes were mixed with conventional color glazes. He can’t recall why he made his first clock, but it was what he got hooked on.
He has been making clocks and showing them in galleries and art shows since 2004. He is represented by Amapola Gallery in Old Town, Albuquerque. He also shows in Conley Pottery in Madrid (south of Santa Fe). He has been in several art shows including New Mexico Arts & Crafts Fair, Weem’s International Artfest, and the Vail Art Fair.
for more information: Raku Around the Clock