DALE ATCHISON, Ceramic Artist
Location #9: Clay on 4th Studio
542 West 4th St., Loveland, CO 80537
Open both weekends
. . . I wasn't looking for it, it found me
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Phone: 303-460-0382
email: atchisonjill5@gmail.com |
When you hear that old saying ”I wasn’t looking for it, it found me” holds true about how we started in this adventure.
I started out like most, my wife and I found a local rec center offering classes in wheel thrown pottery. At first I thought it was fun and entertaining, all of my pots were off center too thick and resembled something that you might find in an elementary school art class. After a few classes, I was finding that there was something therapeutic when I was on the wheel — I found a Zen feeling came over me, relaxation — I could concentrate to make the perfect piece. So we stuck with the once a week classes, and I soon bought an old kick wheel and put it in the garage. I was on that wheel for hours and hours, finding new ways to form a wet lump of clay. After a year or so of throwing bowls, plates, cups and planters, we decided to up our game with an artistic approach to pottery. We found a RAKU pottery class at the rec center, and it changed the way we looked at ceramics forever. RAKU firings are an ancient form of quick firing ceramic vessels with a copper laden glaze. RAKU is considered an art form because of how it is fired and the way we can manipulate the colors in the glazes. It literally takes years to learn the intricate nuances to RAKU firings. We continue to work on our art as we discover new and exciting ways to present this ancient form of pottery. 
"Copper Sand" Ceramics
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Raku Firing
"Raku White Crackle" Ceramics
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