Pottery by Frank Neef

Crystalline Glazed Porcelain

Frank Neef grows zinc oxide crystals in his glazes. His porcelain forms are heated to 2300 F and then cooled to, and held at 2000 F for 5 hours. During this heat soak, the zinc oxide forms paper-thin crystals in the glassy matrix on the pot's surface. The glaze is extremely fluid so vase forms must be stilted on a catch basin in the kiln where excess glaze pools. After the firing, the stilts must be broken off the pots and the bottoms must be ground smooth. The crystalline structure is totally unique to each piece and cannot be replicated. These are truly one-of-a-kind pieces.