Crazed Glaze Tea Bowl

🌿 Crazing refers to the phenomenon where the glaze surface, after ceramic firing, shrinks partially or entirely, revealing irregular wrinkles, cracks, or uneven textures. This is a visual and tactile effect caused by the inconsistent shrinkage rates between the glaze and the clay body during firing, or by the unique properties of the glaze itself. It can be an intentional artistic design or a result of unstable firing conditions. 🔍 Common Types of Crazing: • Crawling Glaze • The glaze cracks like a turtle shell, with glaze pieces exposing the raw clay body between them. • Causes: Uneven glazing, excessively thick glaze layers, highly fluid glaze material, or impurities (oil/water) in the clay body. • Orange Peel Texture • The glaze surface shrinks finely, appearing uneven and bumpy like an orange peel. • Causes: Uneven glaze particle size, inconsistent melting points, or specific firing atmospheres. • Oil Spot or Metallic Glaze • The glaze surface exhibits metallic spots, shimmering particles, and a slightly uneven texture. • Typically seen in iron-based or Tenmoku glaze systems. Crazing occurs due to the differing shrinkage rates between the ceramic glaze and the substrate during sintering. The glaze melts at high temperatures, forming the glazed surface, while the substrate also shrinks during sintering. Because the glaze and substrate have different chemical compositions and melting points, they shrink at different rates during cooling, creating stress. When this stress exceeds the ceramic's tolerance, crazing occurs. Artwork: ❤️. Tea Moss ■ Dimensions: Diameter: 16 cm Height: 6 cm (including foot) Unit: cm ■ Aesthetic: A blend of green and brown, reminiscent of moss growing on aged stones in a tea plantation, exuding a natural and rustic texture. ■ Poetic Sentiment: Tea mist lingers, moss begins to grow, Time quietly traces the clay's surface. The green hidden at the bowl's bottom, Is the silent tenderness of passing years. 🪴 About Tu Ching-He (涂慶賀), the Glaze Magician | Ceramic Artist Master Tu Ching-He, born in Changhua in 1953, dedicated himself to the ceramic industry in Yingge after completing his military service in 1975. He apprenticed under Master Lin Pao-Chia, the "Father of Taiwanese Ceramics," and further refined his glaze formula and preparation techniques with Japanese technicians. Armed with a "laboratory spirit" and a solid foundation in craftsmanship, he rose to become the factory director of a large kiln and received numerous national awards, including the Golden Ceramic Award and the Taipei Fine Arts Exhibition, in the 1990s. Many of his works are now part of the collection at the Yingge Ceramics Museum. At the peak of his creative career, Master Tu was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2000, leading him to step away from the ceramic world for a time. However, his passion for clay eventually rekindled his artistic spirit. Despite the involuntary tremors in his hands, he persevered, returning to the potter's wheel to transform the rhythm of his life into the dance of his glazes. In 2016, he held a solo exhibition titled "The Trembling Fire of Life" at the Ceramics Museum, his resilient creative spirit becoming a moving symphony of life in the Taiwanese ceramic scene. ▎Key Experiences • Master Inheritance: Apprenticed under Master Lin Pao-Chia, deeply engaged in glaze and kiln firing research. In the ceramic world, there's a saying: "Success depends on people, perfection of porcelain depends on fire." * Glaze formulation is the "recipe." * Kiln firing is the "key." • Museum Collections: His works "Blooming" and "Refining" are permanently collected by the New Taipei City Yingge Ceramics Museum. • Major Exhibitions: * 2007 | Selected for the 1st Taiwan Golden Teapot Award. * 2013 | "Dialogue of Fire and Earth: Tu Ching-He's Ceramic Solo Exhibition" at the Chiayi City Cultural Affairs Bureau. * 2014 | Invited to participate in the "Taiwan International Tea Bowl Festival," engaging with international artists. * 2016 | "The Trembling Fire of Life: Tu Ching-He Solo Exhibition" at the Yingge Ceramics Museum. * 2021 | "Song of Nature" Tea Ware Art Exhibition. ▎Creative Characteristics • Awakened Colors: Multi-layered kiln-transformed glazes Master Tu is known as the "Glaze Magician," adept at layering and applying various glazes. During high-temperature melting, the glazes intertwine and flow, creating "glaze realms" as brilliant as nebulae or auroras. Post-illness, his works exhibit even bolder and more unrestrained colors, with thick glaze layers conveying powerful life force. • Trembling Aesthetics: A record of touch and warmth Due to his physical condition, Master Tu's works do not pursue extreme symmetry and smoothness. Instead, they retain the natural traces of hand-shaping, wheel-throwing, and bodily tremors. These marks, enveloped by thick glazes, transform into a unique "sense of life's rhythm." • Practice of Humanistic Zen: Whether tea bowls or vases, his lines tend towards simplicity and rustic elegance, embodying an aesthetic of "great wisdom appearing foolish." Master Tu firmly believes that objects only truly complete their artistic lives through "use," when they come into contact with human hands and mouths. ▎Creative Philosophy "Applying glaze is the accumulation of life's cultivation; firing the kiln is the burning of life's fire." For Master Tu Ching-He, creation is a confrontation and reconciliation with oneself. In the unpredictable high temperatures of the kiln, he embraces the "surprise," viewing each kiln opening as the awakening of the glaze's life. With trembling hands, he pulls out the most stable essence of the vessel, composing his own life's symphony in the flames. ▎Representative Work Categories • Artistic Tea Bowls: Clearly layered, irreplicable glazes, with each bowl's bottom holding a universe. • Natural Glaze Vases: Emphasizing the dynamic interplay between plants and vessels through a bold touch and flowing glaze marks. → Purchase Notes * Most products in this design hall are purely handmade, and the glaze or ash deposit on each piece is unique, which is part of the charm of ceramic art. Unique handmade items cannot be identical, so please understand. If you have specific needs, you can contact the designer to see if there are more similar pieces available. * Dimensions are measured by hand and may have a slight error of 0.5 cm to 1 cm. * Works may have some marks from the production process, as they are all handmade or semi-handmade. Minor operational marks are to be expected. * During the firing process, some earth minerals or rough glaze textures may appear on or around the body due to glaze and ash deposits. This is a natural phenomenon and considered normal. If you have any questions or wish to learn more about the product, please send a private message to the designer for assistance. * Product colors are subject to the actual item as the photos were taken in a studio setting. — 🌿 TAS Shi Yi Zhan, Recorder of Pottery and Fire —