Morgan glazed branch vase.
I have been asked frequently to explain how Morgan glaze works. Truth be known, I don’t know all that much, except that I like it. I am also asked why I can like a glaze like Morgan, and at the same time like a glaze like my HH celadon. The celadon is following in the traditional steps of Song Chinese potters who I admire greatly, while the Morgan glaze is the opposite of that. I think the answer is simple. I am a North American who has little tradition, who admires traditions but at the same time sees rules as something that can and maybe should be broken. New tradition.
So just how does Morgan work? Thinly applied it is almost matt white, and the thicker it is applied the closer it move to the blues and black tones…still very matt. It is really a sinter, which means almost a glass, but not quite. When it is applied very thickly, it crackles on the drying surface. When it is fired, much of the crackle bits fall off to the shelf that holds the piece, so what you are looking at in the picture…and what I have to clean up…is what is not on the vase. However, the glaze that fell off the vase has left something behind, and all the marks of it having been there are evident. Just what happened and when is a question, and I can only guess. Sometimes not knowing is just fine. We all can enjoy a good mystery.
Harlan House RCA
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