GAIL ALTSCHULER
Porcelain Platters, ceramics and paintings inspired by observations of people, patterns and places.
My love of clay dates back to schooldays, but only forty years later did I have the chance to pursue it more seriously. I’m now very lucky to have my own studio at home in East Finchley. The challenge of throwing on the wheel gives endless pleasure, as does opening the kiln to behold the final results of a glaze firing. Both are prone to surprises: disastrous or magical.
Email | hazel21mason@gmail.com
Tel | 07738 765 233
I use stoneware clay because it’s fired to a higher temperature and is suitably strong for domestic ware. The pale near-white clay that I use provides a good surface for coloured glazes, while the red Cornish stoneware contains wonderful flecks of iron that show up best with a transparent glaze.
When I’m making something, I really like to think about how it will be used, whether it will be practical, what it’s like to hold, to look at, and whether it will give pleasure. One of the most rewarding comments was from a friend of mine who said the mug made her tea taste better.