Still Life

Susanne Luthi

The objects are made from porcelain. I begin on the wheel to create the initial form. Sometimes I add a thin and tall foot. At different stages in the working process I change the shape by manual manipulation.

Using carving techniques I obtain the final shape.

I choose to use mainly porcelain in this project despite the challenge it presents. The technical challenge is worthwhile because of its purity, fineness, translucency, whiteness and especially its marvelous color response to glazes and firing

"Porcelain is by reputation, the most difficult and capricious of ceramic materials…porcelain makes demands on the sensitivity and skill of the maker, and requires attention and care at every stage of production. Perhaps more than any other clay it alters and changes during all stages of making. It has a greater shrinkage than stoneware or earthenware, a propensity to warp and distort in the kiln, but it does undergo an almost magical transformation during the firing, It becomes a substance that has as much in common with glass as it does with clay."

(Jack Doherty)