Crystalline Ceramics
Crystalline glazed porcelain forms by Richard Bideau
Careful control of chemistry and firing conditions give rise to glazes that produce crystals during the firing cycle. Crystals are stunning with fantastic shapes that shimmer like holograms as light catches them. The possibilities are almost endless…
I have been exploring the crystalline process since 1997, becoming a full-time potter in 2009. My former career in chemical engineering, coupled with a lifelong association with pottery have given me the skills needed to combine art and science.
My work is sold through art galleries and exhibitions. I also have a selection of pieces available to buy directy directly.
DescriptionIron khaki and golden crystalline glaze work well tongether on this form. The interaction of the different chemistires has created a ring of warmer colour where the neck meets the body. The primary crystals are large and vivid, shown off well by a shaded...
DescriptionThis variation of my dark blue crystalline glaze has vivid blue primary crystals set on a ground filled with tiny secondaries. The ground grades from pale blue on the shoulder to deep russet at the foot.DetailsCode: D0K Year: 2025 Height: 190 mm Porcelain:...
DescriptionIron khaki and etched blue/green crystalline glazes. Etching has created a silky matt surface. The ground grades from white at the mid point to a subtle blue/green near the foot. The primary crystals are vivid blue with pronounced growth rings.DetailsCode:...
DescriptionThe neck is a has deep red tones speckled with small orange crystals. On the body primary crystals dominate. The centres are banded with a burgundy colour that complements the iron red of the neck before fading to a delicate pale green. DetailsCode: CZH...
My next exhibition will be Potfest in the Park located in the beautiful grounds of Hutton-in-the-Forest, Cumbria. The show runs from Friday July26th to Sunday July 28th, 10 am to 4:30 pm each day.The kiln problems I had in November 2023 have stimulated a great...
The sensitivity of crystalline glazes to firing conditions is extreme. Recent modifications and repairs to my kiln changed my glazes dramatically and it has taken a lot of work to get my glazes working again. Several new glazes have come out of my tests and I'm...
Potfest 2023, held at Hutton-in-the-Forest, near Penrith, was a sucess. Many thanks to Matt Cox for organising and to my customers. The weather on the final day was particulary suitable for photography. Here are some images of my work and from around the show.Dramatic...
Some new crystalline glazes.
I'm pleased to announce that I will be exhibiting once again at Potfest in the Park. This year's event at Hutton-in-the-Forest, Cumbria will take place on July 28th, 29th and 30th.
DescriptionBanded mid-blue primary crystals float on an opaque ground set with secondary crystals. DetailsCode: BE5 Year: 2016 Height: 210 mm Porcelain: Audry Blackman.BE5. Cock Hill Wood. Sunlight.BE5. Neck detail. BE5. Quarry near Green's Clough. Sunlight with...
DescriptionThe vivid primary crystal have subtle shaded of blue and green with burgundy and blue banded centres. The gound is opaque and set with tiny secondary crystals grading from pink on the neck to cream near the foot. This is one of my ball clay based custom...
DescriptionDusky blue primary crystals with pronounced burgundy growth rings sit on a contrasting cream ground, opaque with a fine speckling of secondary crystals.DetailsCode: CDA Year: 2021 Height: 200 mm Porcelain: Audry Blackman.CDA. Broad Ing, Towneley. Sunlight...
DescriptionMy mid blue and green crystalline glaze combines vivid primary crystals with a complex ground.DetailsCode: CME Year: 2023 Height: 200 mm Porcelain: TP041.CME. With bluebells in the Colden Valley. Sunlight with flash fill.CME. With bluebells in the Colden...
What does it mean to be a potter? The question is difficult to answer. The rewards are many but it can't be denied that there is a great deal of the mundane. The essential tasks of sieving and grinding are my least favorite. Opening the kiln after a glaze firing a...
With crystalline effects, the glaze is only a part of the process. The type of clay body also exerts a powerful influence on the fired result. For this reason, and many more besides, each potter, working in different parts of the world, each with its own raw...
Time we may comprehend, 'tis but five days elder than ourselves. Thomas Browne, Religio Medici, 1643. If the Eiffel tower were now representing the world's age, the skin of paint on the pinnacle-knob at its summit would represent man's share of that age… Mark Twain,...
Crystalline glazed surfaces have complex structures that change in appearance under different lighting conditions. For this photography session, the weather offered the possibility of some dramatic conditions: it was warm and humid, the wind, so often a powerful force...