Thunder Storm … $450

What do you call a gathering of thunderbirds? A thunder storm of course! The Native thunderbird symbol represents power, protection, strength, and transformation. This work represents these four elements and how when they work together they create a stronger whole.

The work consists of five colorful thunderbirds against a background of four white textured panels. It is approximately 20” by 20” and constructed by hand from an off-white earthenware clay body. The thunderbirds were traditionally fired in a low-temperature firing and the background panels were fired in the western raku firing technique.  The raku technique consists of each piece being bisque fired to cone 04 (1945 degrees F), then glazed with three coats of low temperature raku glazes.  After each piece was glazed, they were placed in a specially designed raku kiln and quickly brought up to cone 06 (1828 degrees).  Once at temperature, the kiln was turned off and opened.  The individual pieces were then taken out of the kiln and placed in reduction bins filled with newspaper shredding.  When the red hot ceramic pieces touched the combustible shredding flames erupted and after a few seconds, lids were paced on the bins, effectively smothering the flames.  The result of this process of quickly heating the pieces, cooling the pieces, and then exposing them to the effects of the flames and smoke result in uniquely spontaneous impacts to the surface of the ceramic pieces.  After the these pieces were cooled and cleaned, I applied a wash of black ink and then wiped the pieces off leaving traces of the ink in the textured portions of the clay and in the cracks of the white crackle glaze.

Here are some “in progress” photos as I was working on its design through completion.