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All ceramic objects are unique.
They are made from stoneware clay.
This clay is heated with temperatures
starting from 1200 degrees Celsius and up.
Stoneware is more solid durable than earthenware.
For my work I use a kind of clay which is suitable for both wheel-made
work (on the electric potter's wheel), and for very delicate or even
very big modelling-work.
With this clay I can combine these techniques
without any extra difficulties due to differences in shrinkage. (Clay
will shrink about 8 to 10% during the drying and heating process).
This clay contains 25 % of fine chamotte (which is fine refractory
clay of 0.5mm.), ensuring that parts of clay can be cut out neatly
without losing its firmness as a whole.
After careful drying the work
is heated up to 1060 degrees Celsius, (this first fire is called
the biscuit fire).
The heating is increased gradually and this process
takes 14 hours on average.
After the oven has cooled down completely,
the object will be sprayed with stoneware glazes (possibly after they
have been treated with oxides).
The glaze frit after having been mixed
with water, is put on by means of a spray gun with compressor.
The
object is heated for the second time during which the glaze frit melts
down to a thin layer of glass.
Once more the heating is increased
gradually in an accurately computer-controlled ceramic oven.
Any possible
crystals and semi-precious stones are fastened to the ceramic object
at the end of the entire process.
For a bronze work of art I start with an original in clay.
In the bronze foundry, a rubber
mould is made of the original.
This mould is used to make wax models,
and these, in their turn, serve as moulds for plaster.
Eventually
the bronze is poured into this last mould.
The bronze is also finished
in the foundry and patinated according to my instructions.