Ceramic and Pottery Glazes

Glaze results are shaped as much by firing conditions as by the recipe itself. Changes in oxygen levels and heatwork can turn the same glaze bright and transparent or earthy and metallic. Oxidation firing, common in electric kilns, maintains stable metal oxides, often producing predictable greens, blues, and iron-based earth tones. Reduction firing, often used in gas kilns, limits oxygen, altering metallic compounds and creating copper reds, iron browns, carbon effects, and lusters. By adjusting firing conditions rather than glaze formulas, ceramic artists can explore a wide range of surface outcomes. These processes highlight how heat, oxygen, and fuel interact, making firing an essential part of glaze development and surface design. Shop for Ceramic Glazes at Blick Art Materials here: https://www.dickblick.com/categories/ceramics-sculpture/glazes/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=video&utm_campaign=AtE&utm_content=Glaze_Firing 🧑‍🎨 Presentation by Mazi from our Merchandising Team 😁 Thanks to our vendor partners at Amaco Brent and Mayco Colors for the ceramic tiles and footage 🫶🏽 Special thanks to artists Amy Palatnick & Karrita Renzelmann, whose work we included here 🎥 Filmed at Blick Studios in Chicago, Illinois #CeramicGlazes #KilnFiring #ReductionFiring #OxidationFiring #GlazeChemistry #CeramicsProcess #PotteryEducation