Tim Scull

I have spent many years fully committed to ceramic education as the managing director of the ceramics department at the Farmington Valley Arts Center in Avon, CT. After 10 years, I moved forward and opened the Canton Clay Works LLC in April, 2000. After spending the last 25 years expanding the Canton Clay Works, I have developed an extraordinary studio and school with sophisticated kilns seldom found in a small privately owned facility.

About Tim's Saggar Fired Pots

Originally found in ancient China and Korea, saggars were containers used to protect wares from air born ash (fly ash) created during the firing of ancient wood and coal-fired kilns.

Today, many contemporary ceramic artists compact their saggars with organic materials (straw, sawdust, excelsior) that have been previously pickled in solutions of mineral salts. Using a combustion kiln, the vessels are fired for several hours in the temperature range of 1200-1500 degrees F. A myriad of colors can be achieved by firing both in reduction and oxidation. The mineral salts create a variety of beautiful soft pinks, blues, lite greens, burgundies, and peach tones with localized carbonized spots. The saturated combustibles in the sagger often volatilize into the porous ceramic wall in a recognizable organic pattern.

Before being fired, the wares are prepared with an ancient clay slip receipt from the Roman-Greco era known as Terra Sigillatta “earth seal”. Layers of very fine particle clay are painstakingly applied to the bone-dry clay vessel and then polished by hand, creating a glossy or satin colored finish.

Low-temperature Saggar fired vessels are for decorative use only. They are not watertight, and should not be considered food safe.

Tim Scull