jaredtolla: Greenware

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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