My artwork is always evolving and changing. in various mediums including clay and
printmaking, my artwork is always evolving and changing as i constantly try new things and
seldomly work on the same thing for too long. as i constantly try new things and seldomly work on
the same thing for too long.
The medium that I am most passionate about is clay because I am fascinated by the historical
cultural origins of ceramics and the incredibly important role that clay works has had throughout
human history. It amazes me to imagine how many uses clay has had in people's everyday lives
from antiquity to contemporary society. But most amazing to me are the ways in which potters
have learned to master and control the power of fire. Fire has always been a symbol for
destruction, but the clay artist has learned to use fire to create, to manipulate the clay and
manifest a new existing object from the mind, much like an alchemist or shaman.
Raku is my favorite firing process. It's an American variation of a centuries old Japanese glaze
firing technique. Raku differs from other firing processes in that, as the fired work reaches a
temperature of about 1800 degrees in the kiln, rather than letting them cool in the kiln as with
other firing processes, in raku, I quickly open the hot kiln and extract the glowing red pots using
steel tongs. At this point, there are a number of ways in which to manipulate the hot pots to attain
extremely unique glaze effects such as quickly placing the glowing hot pieces in a container and
throwing combustible materials on them. A fire then ensues against the pieces which later results
in one of a kind glaze finishes such as glossy swirls of multi colored metallic lusters that are
virtually impossible to recreate.
The designs I use to adourn my pottery are symbols for sacred geometry like the fern and the
tree or flower of life. They represent what I believe to be the overall theme of my work over the
years; that of transcendence to the sacred and how we perceive and invoke deeper meanings in
all things around us. Throughout the ages, societies of peoples have used symbols to represent
the religious and metaphysical mysteries of the universe and our existence.
printmaking, my artwork is always evolving and changing as i constantly try new things and
seldomly work on the same thing for too long. as i constantly try new things and seldomly work on
the same thing for too long.
The medium that I am most passionate about is clay because I am fascinated by the historical
cultural origins of ceramics and the incredibly important role that clay works has had throughout
human history. It amazes me to imagine how many uses clay has had in people's everyday lives
from antiquity to contemporary society. But most amazing to me are the ways in which potters
have learned to master and control the power of fire. Fire has always been a symbol for
destruction, but the clay artist has learned to use fire to create, to manipulate the clay and
manifest a new existing object from the mind, much like an alchemist or shaman.
Raku is my favorite firing process. It's an American variation of a centuries old Japanese glaze
firing technique. Raku differs from other firing processes in that, as the fired work reaches a
temperature of about 1800 degrees in the kiln, rather than letting them cool in the kiln as with
other firing processes, in raku, I quickly open the hot kiln and extract the glowing red pots using
steel tongs. At this point, there are a number of ways in which to manipulate the hot pots to attain
extremely unique glaze effects such as quickly placing the glowing hot pieces in a container and
throwing combustible materials on them. A fire then ensues against the pieces which later results
in one of a kind glaze finishes such as glossy swirls of multi colored metallic lusters that are
virtually impossible to recreate.
The designs I use to adourn my pottery are symbols for sacred geometry like the fern and the
tree or flower of life. They represent what I believe to be the overall theme of my work over the
years; that of transcendence to the sacred and how we perceive and invoke deeper meanings in
all things around us. Throughout the ages, societies of peoples have used symbols to represent
the religious and metaphysical mysteries of the universe and our existence.
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george breisch gonzalez