Elizabeth Lazarus

Elizabeth has been making pottery for 25 years, first at the Pottery Lab and then at Boulder Potters Guild since 2008. She describes her work as a welcomed, calming activity that balances the intensity of her professional work as a psychotherapist with the longing to express her creative self through art. She has always been a person who loves complex challenges and pottery represents that passion for exploring new and various ways to create art. She utilizes three types of methods in her work: 1) low fire white stoneware, 2) high fire shino, and 3) crystalline porcelain. All of her work is dishwasher, microwave and oven safe.

Her low fire pieces bring out the brilliant colors of underglazes. Spraying different colors onto the pieces and then firing them with a clear glaze to bring out the color gives them a shiny surface. She loves creating pieces whose colors are varied and cheerful. Each piece can lighten up a room with its bright colors.

Experimenting with high fire shino glazes is a blast, because shino glazes are sensitive to oxygen and carbon which makes the glazing process complex. The reddish orange designs are developed by depriving areas on the pot of oxygen while the glaze dries, and the shades of black are created by the amount of carbon that can be trapped during the firing. Every firing is different, providing a multitude of surprises.

Creating crystalline pottery is the ultimate challenge!  The kiln temperature must be precisely manipulated and controlled in order for the zinc particles in the glaze to form crystals.  The glaze is so sensitive to temperature and timing that you never know what you're going to get...and that is what makes it so fun!