The Artist’s Technique

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An exquisite example of the effects of reduction.

Raku
Using tongs to remove it from the kiln while the piece is glowing orange and the glaze was molten, she then, quickly, plunges it into a container filled with sawdust and newspaper and covers it to create a reducing atmosphere. It is the reduction (insufficient oxygen) and flame that causes the iridescent luster to appear.

Here are some of the tools of her trade. The center two are tools Willis made.
The coin is a US ten-cent piece, for size perspective.

Hand Carving
All of Melinda’s beads have hand carved details. Some of the forms may be molded, but all of the detailing is done by hand. The Bead Babies, for instance, may take 4 hours of carving. That’s just the carving; with the molding, carving, firing and glazing, the process can take an entire day for one single bead.

One of Melinda’s whistling beads, from a previous auction.

Whistling Beads
Although it isn’t considered a true ocarina, you can play simple tunes (like Mary Had a Little Lamb) with just the two holes! People have told her that they train their dogs with these beads; others have said that they have crowds reaching for their cell phones when the bead is blown and the tone hole is quickly and repeatedly opened and closed, mimicking the sound of a cellular phone.

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Contact her, melinda@melindawillis.com.