Bryan McGriff
Fine Crystalline Glaze Ceramics

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Bryan McGriff

You never know when a little turn in the road leads you to a life enhancing experience, if you're open to the possibilities.  Just such an opportunity presented itself to Bryan McGriff in 1995 when he tried an introductory ceramics course at a local college.  By the end of his second course in throwing pots he was determined to make a career of handcrafting fine ceramics.  Taking one step at a time, he began managing the college ceramics studio, then bought his own wheel and kiln, then began exploring his endless opportunities for experimenting with both forms and glazes.

McGriff's current work is both elegant and inspired.  His ceramic bowls and plates are thin walled and exceptionally nicely formed.  For glazes, he is focusing on crystallines with 1"-3" crystalline blooms, which are unusual because they are difficult to achieve.  Crystalline glazes, by their nature, become very fluid during the firing process.  The application and thickness of the glaze is crucial to success.  With too much glaze, a pool of glass forms in the bottom of the piece.  Not enough glaze and very few crystals are grown.

The crystals in his glazes are made by combining zinc and silica during a slow firing process that takes 15-16 hours, during which time the temperature of the kiln is carefully calibrated from a high of 2300 degrees, then rapidly cooled to 2000 degrees to promote the formation of crystals.  The colors are achieved by adding oxides such as copper, cobalt and rutile.

Consistence in glaze and shape is difficult yet important to the success of Bryan's fine ceramics pieces.  So you will find that while all pieces merge together into a beautiful line of work, each piece remains an individual work of art.