Brake Disk Charger Part IV: Small(er) Leaf Form Bowl with....

Small(er) Leaf Form Bowl with Brake Disk Charger

When I finally opened up the kiln and unloaded it, to my delight, I discovered that all four pieces had survived the process in perfect condition. (The Leaf Form Bowls are especially tricky, as I fire them upside down on clean posts so there are no stilt marks on them at all, a technique I can't employ on the other pieces because they are glazed both inside and out.) So, I actually had a choice as to which pieces I would submit to the Grosse Pointe Art Center's "Urban Edge" show.

I tried all four pieces out on the brake disks I had. The two largest pieces - the Applied Leaf Bowl and the Large Leaf Form Bowl - really worked with the size of the disks best; the other two pieces were still a bit diminished by them and I wanted a good balance between the two elements. The tension between the delicacy of the bowls and the massive form of the brake disk turned into a brute domination of nature with the smaller pieces.

Having made my decision, I took the disks back outside and cleaned their undersides with a wire brush, being careful to preserve all the rust and accumulated detritus on the upper surfaces. I took them to the gallery for in-take using gloves (to keep my hands relative clean), bringing along a square of rubber drawer liner to protect whatever surfaces they might sit on during the jurying process. I figured, with two relatively similar pieces, one of them might get in.

Brake Disks Quietly Rusting in the Back Yard

Much to my surprise (and delight), both pieces got into the show! In fact, there was no other pottery in the show at all and my pieces were actually featured in an article in the Grosse Pointe Times and the Advertiser Times shortly after the show opened.

With the success of these two pieces, I've scavenged another 18 brake disks, at least 2 of which are perfect for the 2 smaller pieces, that are now rusting to perfection in the back yard. The Large Applied Cottonwood Leaf Bowl with Brake Disk Charger will be part of an upcoming Garden Show at Kalamazoo's Midtown+Metropolis Gallery. This is a design that may have "legs"!