Process
• Barkware •
Tim's "barkware" pieces are all made from clay slabs using molds with texture taken from trees outside the studio. The texture is built up from multiple applications of these molds, ensuring the whole surface is textured and making each slab slightly different. The outside surface is left unglazed, but is colored with iron oxide that combines with the natural clay color to give it the depth and color of bark. The inside surfaces are glazed in any of the available glaze colors.
Bark mugs are formed from a textured slab formed into a cylinder. A slab base is added, and a handle is formed separately and pushed through the wall from the inside. Once the handle has dried a bit, additional parts are added to help it look more branchlike. Since the handles are unglazed, they are burnished several times as the mug dries to make it as smooth and comfortable as possible.
The vases and jars use patterns created by software Tim designed and created himself. Using cardboard templates, clay slabs are cut into pieces and then patterned using the bark texture molds. Once they have dried a bit, the pieces are joined together to make the complete piece.
All barkware pieces are microwave and dishwasher safe.