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.
DescriptionCrystalline glazing is unpredictable and sometimes the results are dissapointing. Re-firing is high risk but sometimes produces exceptional results. This is an example, it has been through the glaze firing cycle twice with a different glaze each time. The...
DescriptionIron aventurine has given a dramatic glaze interaction on the rim of the bowl form. There are only two glazes here, the fiery orange to red band is created by the combination of the contrasting chemistries of aventurine and zinc silicate.DetailsCode: D9V...
DescriptionThere are two crystalline glazes with different chemistries here. The sparkling iron aventurine on the neck has created a complex interaction pattern with the green/gold crystalline glaze on the body.DetailsCode: D8E Year: 2026 Height: 185 mm Porcelain:...
DescriptionExceptionally large and vivid primary crystals with concentric growth rings float on a complex ground of secondary crystals. DetailsCode: D93 Year: 2026 Height: 225 mm Porcelain: TP164D93. Hardcastle Crags. Sunlight with flash fill.D93. Detail of a large...
My next exhibition will be Potfest in the Park located in the beautiful grounds of Hutton-in-the-Forest, near Penrith in Cumbria. The show runs from Friday July 24th to Sunday July 26th, 10 am to 4:30 pm each day.
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 July 25th to Sunday July 28th, 10 am to 4:30 pm each day.
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...
DescriptionCrystalline glazing is unpredictable and sometimes the results are dissapointing. Re-firing is high risk but sometimes produces exceptional results. This is an example, it has been through the glaze firing cycle twice with a different glaze each time. The...
DescriptionThere are two crystalline glazes with different chemistries here. The sparkling iron aventurine on the neck has created a complex interaction pattern with the green/gold crystalline glaze on the body.DetailsCode: D8E Year: 2026 Height: 185 mm Porcelain:...
DescriptionExceptionally large and vivid primary crystals with concentric growth rings float on a complex ground of secondary crystals. DetailsCode: D93 Year: 2026 Height: 225 mm Porcelain: TP164D93. Hardcastle Crags. Sunlight with flash fill.D93. Detail of a large...
DescriptionIron aventurine and my iron gold crystalline glaze. The aventurine has tiny plate-like crystals that sparkle as light catches them. The distinctive interaction pattern between the two glazes occurs spontaneously during the glaze firing. Where the two...
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...
In zinc silicate macrocrystalline glazes, nickel oxide is well known for producing blue crystals set on an orange ground. There is a belief circulating in the crystalline glaze community that the blue colour is caused by cobalt contamination of the nickel oxide rather...
Cups need to withstand the thermal shock of having hot liquid poured in over and over again. This places several requirements on the clay body and glaze coating, one of which is the need for the internal glaze and body to have compatible thermal expansion...
Ball clays are an important constituent of my custom porcelain bodies. They influence the throwing characteristcs and exert a powerful influence on crystal growth. They tend to be minimally refined whole sediments containing coarse particles that have no place in a...
Recently, I was asked if I could formulate a glaze based on a recipe known as 'Old Forge B'. It is a type of glaze known as 'Floating Blue' so called because a blue opalescent layer of colour appears to float upon the glaze below. The mechanism is a high boron content...