How it all started

“I fell in love with clay 20 years ago and prefer a painterly, experimental approach when building and glazing my work. I alter the form and used coloured slips to build the surface. My firing process can be hard on the work as I tumble stack bisque-fired pieces in a saggar chamber and fire to 1800°F. I often use Kintsugi gold repair to highlight imperfections.”

Inspired by her journeys sailing the world, Alison’s ceramics have textures and colours that ebb and flow with deep water, shorelines, bracken and seaweed.

Glistening ripples of gold and copper from her Kintsugi “repair” only add to the harmony of her large moon jars, slim vases and exquisite bowls and cups.

“I sagger fire my pieces in an electric kiln with combustibles, salt and oxides. This mixture creates a mineral rich atmosphere: copper reds and cobalt blues invade the surface of each highly burnished piece. The colour on the pot is actually created by the fire.”

Alison Brannen’s work has been exhibited in Canada and the USA. She was the featured artist at the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art in Toronto, Canada in September 2020. Recent exhibitions include Fusion Clay and Glass, Art Gallery of Burlington, Clay and Glass Gallery Waterloo.

Alison is represented by Gagné Contemporary, Toronto and New York.

Technical Notes

Saggar fired pots have a satin matt finish and are sealed with Carnauba wax. Since they are not glazed they don’t hold water or food. They are intended for decorative use only. Saggar firing is similar to Raku ware but relies on careful burnished surface of terra sigillata to achieve the satin appearance. The term ‘saggar’ comes from traditional use of a chamber inside the kiln to protect the piece from the ash and flame. Paradoxically the contemporary use of a saggar keeps my combustibles, salt and oxides close to the work and results in the beautiful markings of the flame.