Frogskin
Pots glazed in Frogskin glaze are coated with the same glaze as seen in the pottery’s Teadust glaze, only, Frogskin is fired in the third or fourth chamber of the wood kiln, where salt is added at the very end of a firing. The sodium in the salt reacts the way bleach works on clothing — it bleaches the iron-rich Teadust glaze and creates an olive green to mustard-colored finish, with a glossy surface. Historically, Ben Owen III’s family and many other potters in the Seagrove area became aware of natural clay from Albany, NY (known as Albany Slip) that could be used as a glaze. They began to use this natural clay as a glaze, throwing salt into the kiln at the very end of a firing in order to get the aptly named “frogskin” green-to-mustard color and glossy surface.
Scroll down to view other examples of works glazed in Frogskin.
Please Note: The appearance of white spots on the surface is a reflection from photo lighting.
