A full-time potter since his college days, Bill Shearrow specializes in raku, a low temperature-fired pottery . . . he also makes art and installation tile of his own designs.
For years, Shearrow was the chief designer for Meredith Tile, a company that closed its doors in 2009. “I was there on the last day,” he recalls. “A few years after that, I was given the opportunity to purchase all my intellectual property from them.”
That meant he was free not only to hand-press and sell his own tile designs, but also to use the proprietary glazes he’d developed at Meredith. While he sells somewhat more tile than pottery, his three variations of raku are his passion. Using techniques developed centuries ago in Japan, Shearrow pushes his classically shaped raku vessels to an extreme with high, slender necks and flared lips. “I try to make each one strong enough to stand on its own as a work of art. Their function is their beauty.”
For his “naked” raku, each wheel-thrown piece is burnished and bisque-fired, then coated with a thick layer of slip. It’s fired again in an outdoor raku kiln to 1,850 degrees F. This cracks the slip, creating those storm effects on the surface. Each piece is then hand-polished, sealed, and waxed.
The horsehair raku vessels also are burnished and bisque-fired. After a second firing, they are placed into an insulated container. Shearrow adds horsehair to the pot and has about a minute to manipulate the strands, which crinkle up to form a pattern that burns into the surface.
Shearrow’s copper matte raku is made with a glaze that contains small amounts of copper carbonate and silver nitrate. During the second firing, the artist removes the red-hot pot and places it in a metal container filled with straw, which catches fire. He quickly places a lid on the pot, where smoke and carbon in the oxygen-starved atmosphere react with the glazes to create lustrous colors and effects. “The more delicate it is, the more dangerous it is—the more careful you have to be or you might break it.”
Bill Shearrow
Shearrow Pottery
Canton, OH
(330) 455-4324
shearrowpottery.com
Mary Ellen Polson is a creative content editor and technical writer with over 20 years experience producing heavily illustrated know how and service journalism articles, full-length books, product copy, tips, Q&As, etc., on home renovation, design, and outdoor spaces.
