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Green Ware:

Green
Ware is the title of my current line of work. These objects are the
solution I developed to the problem that every Ceramic studio
encounters: What to do with glaze waste. Unfired glaze material
contains heavy metals such as cobalt, titanium, zinc, etc... (not lead
in this case) and that material must be properly disposed of.
 Mistakes
happen, glazes get spilt, and stirring implements must be cleaned to
prevent cross-pollination. This material is collected in a single 5
gal. bucket. It is what I call glaze waste and it is a conglomerate of
all the studio glazes (about 20). Past studio solutions include
re-using the waste as a glaze, and contacting the University to
properly dispose of the material.  The
former never disposes of enough glaze, and the latter is quite
expensive. I needed a better solution so I came up with "Green Ware."

Green
Ware is bowls filled with the glaze waste. The bowls are about 6
inches in diameter and 1 inch deep. I fit the bowls into empty spots
in the kiln whenever I have a firing. Once the glaze waste is fired,
they no longer pose a threat to the environment. The heavy metals are
bound up in the glass.
 I
came up with the title due to the reduced use of resources. I am
simply incorporating my recycling technique into standard studio
operations and making some interesting objects to boot.
 Sometimes
the bowls survive and sometimes they split during the cooling of the
kiln. I always fire them on old shelves in case there is some sort of
unexpected reaction. I have had some minor shelf damage, but never a
disaster.
 The following show the diversity that can occur depending upon what glaze was dominantly being used in the studio at the time.
















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