Unlike the other pieces in this collection that were fired at home in my outdoor kiln, this bowl was fired in a pit during my Taos residency. I used different colors of terra sigillata mixed with mica to create an abstract mountain pattern. After firing, the subtle smoke clouds look like they are floating above the mountains just like real clouds do in the New Mexico landscape.

This piece was coil built with micaceous clay that I used for the first time during my art residency in Taos this past summer. Clay containing metallic flecks of mica is naturally occurring in the mountains of Northern New Mexico. Traditionally it was used for cooking pots because the mica acts as a temper reducing the risk of thermal shock which leads to cracking. Today, both Native and non-Native ceramicists use this clay to create works of art. 

6” diameter, 4” tall