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| Susy
Siegele and
Mike Haley
For the last twenty-five years, Susy Siegele and Mike Haley have worked
together in a partnership that has proved to be greater than the sum of
its parts.
Their method of working with clay involves layering different colors
of clay into loaves which, when sliced like bread, reveal carefully
constructed patterns in the clay. Each slice from a loaf will be shaped
into a piece of pottery. The twenty or so colors they mix are all based
on the same porcelain body, which is a wonderfully vitreous and durable
medium for functional work.
Artist Statement
Our ideas bounce back and forth through each of our personal filters,
sometimes gathering energy and feeling, turning into something good,
and sometimes being dropped by the wayside, but always working toward
some nebulous ideal piece of work that will speak with eloquence.
The colors we use come from naturally occurring oxides, but depend on
our firing technique for their richness. At around 1600ºF, we begin
stoking our propane and wood kiln with ceder splits, and continue
firing with both gas and wood for another six or eight hours unti the
temperature in the kiln reaches 2380ºF. Splitting wood and stoking the
fire for intense periods is like meditation; it keeps us in touch with
the extreme physics, craftsmanship and magic necessary to make
high-fired porcelain.
The inspiration for our work comes from many sources; aboriginal rock
art, old quilt patterns, M.C. Escher's drawings,the landscapes and
natural wonders of the world around us.
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