Glaze Chemistry: Developing Understanding Through Research and Experimentation

Kristina Peay    

As a ceramic artist who does not use commercially made glazes, I feel it is my duty to understand the chemistry behind the materials I am using and how they change the effects of a glaze.  I have been in charge of mixing glazes for the on-campus ceramics studio for over a year now, and while I fully comprehend the physical processes of mixing a glaze from scratch, I still struggle to know what the steps I’m doing are accomplishing.  Why am I adding zinc oxide to this glaze?  Why do I need to add a lot of nepheline syenite but only a little bit of lithium carbonate in this recipe?  What makes one glaze transparent while the other one is opaque?  These were all questions running through my mind while mixing the class recipes.  I felt I needed to gain the answers to these questions in order to feel successful in my studio practice.  In this presentation, I will provide research on the three main chemical components of a glaze and what each of them does.  I will then present the results of an experiment where I attempted to create my own glaze recipe based on the knowledge I have gained.     

• Kristina Peay is a senior visual art major with a concentration in 3D.  She works primarily in ceramics, creating works that are both thrown on the wheel and handbuilt.  She is a member of the Honors College, the secretary of the Student Government Association, and an intern at the Arts Center of Greenwood.