Styolites are wavy banded patterns that occur in rocks in certain pressure conditions. They can have a similar appearance to foliation bands. I debated back and forth if this was going to be the "Styloite Collection" or the "Foliation Collection". Ultimately I landed on Styolites, because on a visual level they tend to be a break in an otherwise homogenous looking rock, while foliation tends to have multiple repeating bands. Maybe someday there will be a Foliation Collection.
Most pieces in this collection are made of a nearly black stoneware to emphasize the organic nature and raw beauty of the clay in the unglazed carved bands. The effect is achieved by carving the clay while it is in a leather hard state, then using wax resist when it comes to glazing.
The dark clay body is very iron rich and does not work well with most glazes. The amount of iron changes the glaze chemistry and things can look very different than they would on white clay. Not every glaze is affected dramatically, but most are, and I have quite the pile of failed experiments to show for it.
