I fell in love with Moon Jars after seeing the photo of Lucie Rie, by Snowdon, where she is sitting next to the Moon Jar given to her by Bernard Leach.  In attempting to re-create the appearance of the lunar surface through smoke firing, I developed the technique of smoke firing following a standard glaze firing.  I now use layers of glaze to build a colourful surface which is then brought into contrast with the matt, dark finish from the smoke firing.

I use a combination of glazes I mix myself and commercially available ones, eg Mayco white crackle.  I’m looking for glazes that have the capacity to crackle.  I apply them using a sponge or a silicone pastry brush.