ELISA KREY

The Smoke song series, a clay and fire symphony, is the outcome of Elisa’s experimentation process - always searching. From the ashes emerge shadowy shapes that morph and shift once exposed to the light. These designs pay homage to our planet, reflecting its constant flow and movement.

No glaze or underglaze is used. After making the piece Elisa polish’s it with a smooth stone, then applies Terra Sigillata and polish’s once more until the surface is shiny. “After the bisque fire, I use a masking paste to create the patterns I desire, before placing the work in a sagger.” She then adds ingredients found from nature, like seaweed, pine needles coconut husk, along with oxides, salt, sugar, string, charcoal and sawdust. The temperature of the kiln is taken up to about 900 degrees, the ingredients then burn away, painting the surface of the clay with smoke.

The thrill of playing chemist and developing formulas is both invigorating and daunting, for the unknown factor can yield surprising results, both good and bad. 

@kreyfarer