Colchis Forge
Portfolio
Utilizing the volatile firing techniques of traditional Japanese raku pottery in combination with glaze recipes inherited from her grandfather, Kirsten Eichholz of Oakwood Studios has been creating fine works of pottery such as cups, bowls, vases, and tea services for more than a decade. In recent years, she has expanded her portfolio to include tokens for tabletop and whimsical figurines such as this little Miyazaki inspired miniature, as well as wind chimes, jewelry components like this Majora's Mask pendant inspired by the Legend of Zelda games, and of course her wonderful masks.
Creating New Faces
Masks are a long~running project of Kirsten's that has really caught fire (shameless raku pun) and expanded and transformed her talents in the years that I have known her. The intricacies and difficulties presented in creating wearable works of ceramic art are steadily pushing Kirsten to discover hard limits and unknown potentials within her medium. Setting aside all the usual things that may go wrong in glazing and firing pottery, masks present the double challenge of requiring that the mask's base layer pf clay must not be so thin that it cannot withstand the firing process or hold up to use, while at the same time necessitating that the mask not be too heavy to be comfortable when it is worn. Despite these competing issues, our customers are frequently surprised at the lightness and durability of Kirsten's work.
Oak & Gear
Kirsten and I met in middle school as members of a small after~school writer's club. Lifetime enthusiasts of fantasy, art and history, we became fast friends and soon began planning to blend our crafts of wire and pottery to create a style of mixed~media art which we believe is unique in the world, and to use that style to create what we broadly refer to as “fine art for real nerds.” During the fair season, take our “Oak & Gear” booth to several renaissance and fantasy fairs in the New England area and take great pride in seeing our art work incorporated into fair~goers' costumes. Along with masks, we also collaborate on sculptures, game tokens and jewelry.
What is Raku?
Kirsten can explain this process much better than I can (and I will make her do so and post her description here presently in place of my bumbling) but in short, raku is a method of glazing and firing pottery which originated in Japan and has evolved in many ways as enthusiasm for the method and the countless artistic styles have spread globally. It involves exposing the glaze to a variety of burning materials such as sawdust during the firing process which effect the final finish of the glaze's colors and textures. Kirsten uses both traditional methods as well as techniques of her own to create her one~of~a~kind works of art. I am particularly enamored with her ability to create vast scenes with simple black silhouettes via the effect of negative space created by the unglazed portions of the pottery, such as the trees in the background of the two panels of women sword fighting with evil floating lanterns pictured below.
