CERAMIC WATER JARS: Variety within the limits of sameness

WATER JARS

 A number of years ago, while Kristin and I were strolling through Santa Fe we stumbled across a “jar shop” which was little more than a salesman on the sidewalk, a storage room of jars behind him, and a few large hand built, native jars scattered around on the sidewalk.  I was fascinated by what I saw,  and by the variety of the quality of the jars displayed, so we ask the salesman if we could look in the storage room.  He was agreeable and what we found was a large number of jars, hastily constructed and without artifice, much like the jars on the sidewalk. In among this mass of tourist quality jars one particular jar stood out as having been carefully crafted and finished, probably by a child.  The superior workmanship and surface detail (hours of burnishing and attention to detail) were immediately apparent but it was a mystery how this one piece of art had become stacked with so many inferior but similar objects.  It was the same price as the un-artistic jars and we walked away with it as if we had discovered a Picasso at a small art stall in Paris.  The salesman also sold wrought iron jar stands for a few bucks and we purchased one (I should have bought a dozen for the price).  This jar has been a part of our lives since and I hoped someday I’d find time to construct one similar to it (see below).

Mexican water jars are round bottom, bisque (earthenware) fired containers, generally suspended with a chord or leather thong in the open air.  When filled with water it seeps through the porous bisque surface and evaporates, cooling the jar and water.  Other earthenware jars are used for dried beans, seeds, etc.  The lids can be sealed with all kinds of natural objects and sealers.  Examples of these jars in various forms are common throughout the world where ever native craftspeople  are meeting the demands of native agrarian societies. 

Here is a jar I constructed with red clay and covered with a red iron oxide slip, then burnished.  You can see the red (brown) clay color on the inside. 

Storage jars are typically a bit large to throw in a pottery wheel and the round bottom adds complications to this technique.  Native potters generally use coil construction methods for the larger examples but smaller coil jars are not uncommon.  I build two jar halves on identical round throwing batts, let them dry to where I can handle them, and then attach the halves carefully.  From that point a jar requires extensive shaping and surface finish. The round bottoms aren’t a problem as these jars generally self balance (don’t fall over more than a few degrees) and from an artistic perspective look better displayed at a slight angle.

Here is a modern form of the earthenware jar with a slab top, smoke fired pattern, and burnished surface.  This pot may roll around some but it generally sets upright by itself.  No, it doesn't have memory, gravity does. 

Surface treatment follows the shaping of the pot to a smooth and pleasing  surface.  I start this shaping as soon as the halves are mated using bisque jar forms and large bowls to support the jar during development.  It may take a week to process the jar from the joining step to the final stain or burnishing step, and an additional week to bring the surface to a point where I start to slowly dry the jar for initial low temperature (bisque) firing.

A construction accident resulted in the coils of this pot separating.  I re-glued the pot with cone 06 glaze and re-fired it for the "archaeological find" look.  Seems like I also put a dark 06 glaze inside for added structure. Some have commented they like this broken side of the pot best, but for me, its a reminder of poor construction technique.

Once the jar shape is defined and the surface has been established, I choose to either burnish the surface and/or treat it with an oxide stain.  These jars are not symmetrical and I leave characteristic surface marks.  In the tradition of Mexican water jars, I try to avoid a formal signature, choosing instead marks or images which are not characteristic of signatures but which allow me to tag the jar for my records. 

I like a dark smoke fire finish but the "subtle" smoke firing of the jar below is very mystical.  The colors in this pot are illusive, and the dark glazed interior offer contrast.  This jar will be in the March, 2012 Larson Gallery  (Yakima) Show titled "From The Ground Up".  

Although Bisque earthenware is porous there are solutions to this characteristic for table ware.  Naturally, a low fire glaze seals the surface and this treatment is common in Mexican plates, cups, and bowls.  Another way to seal the surface is to burnish the leather hard clay with a smooth object.  Burnishing simply means rubbing, polishing and smoothing the surface by rubbing it, often repeatedly.  While this technique shines the surface it also compacts it and acts as a type of glaze without additional chemicals.  Seen in cross section, a burnished surface does appear to be glazed.  This is an example of a glaze not influenced by fluxes or chemicals.  It is more integral with the clay surface, but is not completely fluxed and retains some porosity.  A burnished surface, created with care and resulting from multiple “over” burnishing, creates a beautiful and compelling finish. 

Here is a smoke fired jar that illustrates the patterns this finishing technique can accomplish.  If I leave this jar out in the winter and it is rained on, followed by freezing, it can be destroyed.  These jars need to be under cover and protected from  combinations of moisture and freezing.  The jars can be frozen when dry or rained on when the weather is warm, but the two elements of weather are lethal to porous bisque ware.  

The burnishing technique is possible with any smooth object but a spoon or smooth stone seems to be the most popular burnishing tools.  Repeated burnishings enhance the finish and there are master burnishers, demonstrated by our “Santa Fe” jar.  I use an old spoon.  I have used any number of spoons for this job and, for no reason at all, only one has proven satisfactory for the job.  Other ceramics artists who burnish tell me they have encountered the same phenomena. 

This jar is presently in Oak Hollow Gallery (in Yakima).  It has an interior dark glaze and darker smoke fire surface which was treated with bee's wax, then polished.  The rim is subtle and I display it on a small, clear plastic ring which is essentially unnoticeable but makes the jar more stable in a public area.  

The key to burnishing, besides using a favorite tool, is to bring (and keep) the clay surface at the ideal moisture content.  Multiple burnishing requires repeated misting with a water sprayer and letting it the clay surface settle back to a good consistency.  Some potters use oil on the surface to produce the slick finish.  Burnishing is one of those techniques that you see someone doing and assume you can grab a spoon and achieve their success, but perfect burnishing requires a lot of practice and some potters just seem to have the knack for it.  Although rubbing a clay surface with a spoon might seem a bit boring, in fact, it is a satisfying technique and achieving the perfect finish is thrilling.

This jar shows the slight un-symetrical shape and streaked, smoke fire surface characteristic of  this technique.  This jar was misplaced and I have no idea what happened to it, perhaps some Oxen bean farmer needed it for a storage jar.  With the interior glaze it should serve him well. 

Bisque firing a water jar is as easy as finding a kiln large enough to hold it and setting the kiln setter, with a few exceptions.  Jars should never be fired upside down as any remaining moisture (and latent moisture) will steam out and become trapped in the top (bottom) of the jar where it will be absorbed in a circular pattern and then shatter the pot bottom in that shape.  I always candle before firing and fire large jars open end up before running the temp on up to 1835 degrees F.

This a a "blem" that is unsuitable for sale but I like it anyway.  It sets on the wrought iron  stand that came with my original native jar. It is in all aspects (blemish included) typical of native jars .  

Many of my pots have been “finished” at bisque, but my objective is to smoke fire most of those I don’t turn into drums.  Smoke fire is similar to Raku: You cover the pot with organic material in an iron barrel and light it off for a slow burn.  The fire must remain active but is controlled to keep it from over (or under) firing.  Smoky work ares can be a consideration, but the fire can also be extinguished if too tightly controlled.  Kiln shelves (set on top of metal 55 gallon drum) control the temperature and wadded clay at the holes also helps with fire control. A perfect firing is when all of the organic material in and around the pot is consumed.

This "red" drum shows that a drum is little more than a jar with a hole and a head, proving that we are little more than jars ourselves.  For an experiment, this drum is surprisingly playable but it is a bit slick and heavy for animated performances.

I try to fire several pots in each firing and occasionally put other bisque clay objects around the pots for similar treatment. A smoke fired bisque object can become blacker than well reduced Raku ware.  After burning for several hours, I close the top and let the barrel burn out and cool for a day or two before pulling out the ware. I wash them, dry them, and occasionally rub with bee’s wax for a more appealing finish.   A well burnished post, successfully smoke fired, and rubbed with bee’s wax can be shined to a finish similar to a waxed car finish. 

This drum is unique in that I tipped the head 15 degrees at leather hard by cutting the top off on one side  This feature bounces the vibrations from the head directly into a reflecting  (non-mathematically perfect) parabola.  The sound hole extension works well for bounce and this is my most successful drum design.  The surface decoration around the top is not evident in this photo?

Drums:  Read on down to a previous posting for a discussion of ceramic drums.  Ceramic drums are constructed very much like water jars but need a glued head AND a sound hole.  At some point I have to dedicate the form to becoming a drum particularly if I intend to attach a unique sound hole or other special feature.   Carrying strap holes, microphone and electronic cables holes, or multiple heads all require pre-planning before the leather hard stage.  In some cases I complete the final drum head surface or add features at the leather hard stage.   Drum head attachment requires that the opening is absolutely flat and suitable for gluing and drum hardware taken into account.  Creating the drum head surface means working with the opening when the piece is bone dry. 

And that's my "jar" post, hope you enjoyed it.  Stay tuned for future postings on hand split red cedar walking sticks (MyStick Cedar), smoke fire techniques, and discussions on big trees, pika colonies, portraits, etc. I dedicate the following image to the Anasazi Nation: