Lyse Fleury

PRIMITIVE OR SMOKE FIRING

After throwing an original piece of pottery on the wheel Lyse Fleury fires it twice. Before the bisque firing, she trims every piece to perfection, lets it dry and, filling an artist's brush with "terra sigillata", she applies an original design to the surface of the work. Before applying the "terra sigillata" the ceramist has etched an outline of her design on the surface of the piece; alternatively, she sculpts a raised design on the clay surface using "slip".

The oxides and stains which the artist adds to different batches of "terra sigillata" will subsequently bring out reddish and greenish tones, or a variety of muted colors, in her pleasing, consistently elegant one-of-a-kind vases, urns, boxes and plates.

The second or the smoke firing is performed outdoors. The kiln is filled with sawdust which surrounds the piece that is about to be refired. The smoke from the burning sawdust penetrates the now-decorated clay surface, imbuing it with subtle, mysterious patterns. The last steps in ceramist Lyse Fleury's method of fashioning raw clay into a complete artistic work require her cleaning the vestiges of smoke from the surface of the cooled piece, and then polishing it with beeswax. The refined final product is left with an appealing, soft glow.

To see Lyse Fleury curriculum vitae click here.