Element of Surprise

Ceramic artist Jackson Li creates diverse yet easily recognized work. With even just a swift look around his exhibit, one can instantly distinguish Li's unique aesthetic signature despite his spectrum of style. At his Sanbao Studio in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi province, Jackson creates from masculine and feminine inspirations alike, one moment shaping muddy bowls and the next painting silver peonies. 

One of the joys in getting to know a Jackson Li piece is discovering surprises in the details. For example, as you finish the last drop of green tea from one of his tea cups, you will discover a sparkling pool of crackled glass peering at you from the cup's bottom--something like a puddle after a crystal rain. The magical pond comes from tipping glass over the silica glaze (another glass material) that coats the clay. The cup bakes for 12 hours in a reduction-based kiln heated between 1300-1320 degrees C, or nearly 2500 degrees F. A reduction-based firing, unlike the oxidation-based firings native to northern China, sucks oxygen out of a substance. That's why a piece painted with an iron glaze goes in green and comes out red. Firing techniques vary just like the materials used.

A cup created in fine technique is a masterful work of art, but the glass flourish at the bottom, at first unnoticed, shows a commitment to beauty when least expected.