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 my mid blue crystalline glaze. Soft blue crystals with vivid holographic structure float on a complex ground of secondaries. Photographed on a bright spring day in a river valley of the Lancashire Pennine hills. DetailsCode: D4R Year: 2026...
DescriptionIron aventurine and a new variation of my gold and green crystalline glaze. The interaction between the two glazes has produced a pattern with vivid red and amber plumes reaching down onto the glaze below.DetailsCode: D4W Year: 2026 Height: 225 mm...
DescriptionIron aventurine and iron gold zinc silicate glazes on a porcelain bowl form. The aventurine contains tiny plate-like crystals in the glass the reflect light creating a sparkling effect. On this bowl, I have used aventurine for the entire...
DescriptionIron aventurine and gold/green zinc silicate crystalline glaze on a porcelain bottle form. This example of aventurine adds hexagonal surface crystals to the tiny reflective ones within the glaze itself. The zinc silicate glaze on the body features golden...
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...
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...
DescriptionIron khaki and my mid blue crystalline glaze. Soft blue crystals with vivid holographic structure float on a complex ground of secondaries. Photographed on a bright spring day in a river valley of the Lancashire Pennine hills. DetailsCode: D4R Year: 2026...
DescriptionIron aventurine and a new variation of my gold and green crystalline glaze. The interaction between the two glazes has produced a pattern with vivid red and amber plumes reaching down onto the glaze below.DetailsCode: D4W Year: 2026 Height: 225 mm...
DescriptionIron aventurine and iron gold zinc silicate glazes on a porcelain bowl form. The aventurine contains tiny plate-like crystals in the glass the reflect light creating a sparkling effect. On this bowl, I have used aventurine for the entire...
DescriptionIron aventurine and gold/green zinc silicate crystalline glaze on a porcelain bottle form. This example of aventurine adds hexagonal surface crystals to the tiny reflective ones within the glaze itself. The zinc silicate glaze on the body features golden...
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...