Donald Reitz

1929, Sunbury, Pennsylania - 2014

Artist Statement:

Some sixteen years ago, I began to use the salt glaze process as an integral part of my work. Salting is a very old technique, derived around the 12th Century as a quick and quite economical way to put glazed surface on such things as sewer and roofing tile, barn floor gutters, and storage containers. These were usually dark brown in color and had a somewhat rippled surface which we call orange-peel. Instead of bisquing the ware first, then dipping it into a bucket of glaze and firing it a second time, one need only to put the raw pot in the kiln, fire it to a maturing temperature, and introduce raw salt into the kiln, A chemical reaction takes place as the salt volatizes into sodium vapors that mix with the silica in the clay, creating a thin coating of soda-silicate glaze on the clay surface.

I use the salt process because my work demands it; not because I was taught it or it is a now thing to do. The process itself is a very physical and theatrical one, which is part of me. It was as natural for me to turn to salt for the final ingredient in my work as it was for me to do all that which proceeded it in my life. The work seemed to deserve nothing less.

My involvement is with pottery, the containing form, replete with historical metaphor, references to other times. I am mindful not to establish any particular time, past, present, or future. The challenging paradox lies in that the work is historical but without history. It alludes to something other than its physical self. It must establish a presence commanding attention, but humble enough not to confuse the issue with self-adoration. A celebration of form. A critique of the artist.

Making pots isn’t about making pots. You can’t let pots get in the way of making pots, like you can’t let fishing get in the way of going fishing. What making pots is about; is your self – it is a way of life. About the way you think, about the way your mind is; it’s about what has affected you all your life. That’s why I don’t care what people make, or the material they make it out of. It is so individual with each person, but I suppose the main thing is to have them be perceptive, to have them think creatively and to have an open mind.

Directly from: http://donreitz.com/about/artist-statement/ 

Artist Biography:

Donald Reitz received his B.S in Art Education in 1957 from Kutztown Sate College and his MFA from the New York State School of Ceramics, Alfred University in 1962. At Alfred University, Reitz began to experiment with salt glazing, a technique he championed throughout his career and which prompted the name given by his peers, “Mr. Salt”.

Reitz taught at Dover Public Schools in New Jersey (1957 – 1960), Alfred University (1962), and, for more than 25 years, at the University of Wisconsin – Madison. He retired Professor Emeritus from UW in 1988.

In 1988 and 2001, Reitz was named one of the twelve greatest potters by Ceramics Monthly readers. His works are part of over fifty private and public collections including the Chazen Museum of Art, Milwaukee Museum of Art, Museum of Fine Arts - Boston, Museum of Fine Arts - Houston, and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.

Source: http://donreitz.com/about/

Image: http://ncclayclub.blogspot.com/2010/04/don-reitz.html