Colin McGowan raku firing

Colin has been working on a series of pieces developed after a visit to The British Museum. His pieces are based on the concept of archaological discoveries, being interpretations of ancient artefacts.

 Helmets are made using grogged clay and allowed to dry. The pieces above have already been bisque fired.

Colin heats the helmet to approx. 900 degrees in a gas kiln and then moves it to a prepared firing bin. In this case, he is using a metal bin containing a mixture of crumpled newspaper and sawdust.

When the heated helmet comes into contact with the combustible materials, they burst into flames. The resulting heat and fumes react with the glaze on the helmet.

Colin covers the helmet with more sawdust to control the amount of oxygen coming into contact with the pieces. This controls the rate of oxidisation, therefore determining the final colour of the helmet.

 

The finished helmet is displayed on a custom-made copper and stone stand.

If you would like to commission a piece from Colin, he can be contacted on 077140-74741 or via cpm.ceramics@gmail.com

So of the other pieces in the same series are:


The amulet


Helmets and amulet

Found Masks and Helmet