Brenda Sutton Mader

Pottery

"Clay responds to every touch and can be transformed into almost anything; your imagination is your limitation. Clay has taken me down many roads. My main focus is the firing process, this determines the clay and the design I choose for my pieces.

My work is mainly wheel thrown with hand built additions elegantly combined to provide each piece with balance, form and, most of all function. Working with a variety of different stoneware clays and porcelain, I am able to expand my clay palette, producing different and exciting results. I take special care in the glazing and firing of each piece. Glaze fired in an electric kiln gives my functional ware their deep blues with hints of green and gold. I also fire both functional and decorative pieces in a wood-burning kiln to over 2300f degrees, rediscovering celadon and shinos of the ancient oriental clay masters. My relief and carved decoration lends itself well to both types of firing."