A Pioneer in Ceramics Gary Holt, an artist and owner of a pottery studio in California, uses a technique called “setting the color” in which his porcelain pieces have to be bisque fired between each layer of water-soluble metal salt (WSMS) application. Compared to traditional glazes, WSMS are simpler solutions and can be applied in a similar manner as watercolor. Holt, has been perfecting his method for more than twenty years and developed it through trial-and-error since research on WSMS was slim. Holt’s work has a colorful yet muted palette with soft brush strokes. There is an air of simplicity and serenity due to the organic nature of the forms.
I want to focus in on the first piece in the photo set above for a moment. It, much like the others, has a gentle presence about it and really highlights the salt marking effect. I was drawn to this piece because it reminds me of Wassily Kandinsky’s “Several Circles” (1926). Like Wassily, Holt’s piece has several orb forms and makes use of muted blues and pinks. The delicacy of his hand is very obvious and the time spent on each one is undeniable. Holt is a pioneer in his modern technique for application of the water-soluble metal salts and his work has left a mark on both ceramics as an art form and me personally. Pieces can be purchased from his studio Gary Holt Ceramics. 1449 Fifth St, Berkeley, CA 94710 Sources: 1.
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AuthorHaven Wright Archives
February 2021
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