What I'm making, testing, and learning.
I use this journal to share glaze tests, kiln results, photography setups, and the lessons I pick up while working with clay.
Terra Sigillata: Surface, Light, and Clay
I take a closer look at terra sigillata, an ultra-refined clay slip that catches light, keeps the marks of making visible, and changes as a vessel turns.
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From Code to Clay: Learning to 3D Print with Clay
Moving from plastic 3D printing to clay taught me that the digital file is only the beginning. Overhangs, air pockets, soft clay, and patience all shape the finished vessel.
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Ten Recent Vessels: Crystalline Glaze, Raised Texture, and Form
Here is a closer look at ten recently photographed pieces from my Olathe, Kansas studio, including cobalt crystalline glazes, altered silhouettes, tactile black surfaces, clay 3D printing, and saturated color.
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What Happens When You Acid Bath a Nickel Crystalline Glaze
I put this nickel crystalline-glazed pot in an acid bath for five days, leaving the upper section exposed. The submerged teal crystals turned silver while the exposed crystals stayed teal. Here's what changed across the surface.
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New Crystalline Work
After quite a bit of trial and error with Coyote's Blue Crystal Lagoon Crystalline glaze, I started getting results I really liked. Here are three recent crystalline pottery pieces.
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Photographing Pottery
Pottery can be tricky to photograph. Curved forms catch reflections, glossy glazes create glare, and busy backgrounds compete with the piece. These practical lighting, background, angle, and camera suggestions can help produce cleaner pottery photos.
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Recent Work
I just finished photographing a few recent pieces, including cone 6 pottery made with Laguna's misfire b-Mix clay and an Amaco's Tenmoku and Potters Choice Seaweed glaze combination. I especially like how the Tenmoku accents the sodium silicate texture.
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Welcome to Barta Ceramics
I'm Mark Barta. When I started this journal in 2021, I was living in Kansas City, Kansas, and had been practicing ceramics for 10 years. I first got hooked on wheel throwing in high school and later studied ceramics at Kansas State University under the direction of Yoshiro Ikeda.
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