The famous Lithuanian ceramist Alģimants Patamsis is the only one in Lithuania who decorates his works of art with crystal glaze. In recent years, Alģimantas has also focused on making clay urns decorated with crystal glaze to help preserve the memories of the departed, tv3.lt writes.
Algimantas has been working with ceramics for 45 years, and is and remains the only master in Lithuania who deals with crystal glaze – since he saw this technique in a book during his studies, Algimantas became interested in it, but no one could explain to him the peculiarities of this glaze.
“I’ve been working with it ever since,” he smiles. When asked why such a small number of ceramicists work with this technology, Patamsis briefly and clearly answers that the whole point lies in the complexity of the technology: “This glaze cannot be bought because no one makes it due to its technological properties. You have to do everything yourself: measure and weigh correctly, know the ingredients well and prepare them properly for burning.”
The master says that this technology is similar to what we often observe on windows in winter, seeing how frost patterns or ice flowers form, but when glazing products with crystals, the exact opposite happens – the crystals are not formed when the temperature drops, but when when it is very high.
“During the process, you can never predict where the crystals will grow, what size they will be, what shape they will have. Sometimes it even happens that no crystal grows, but that’s what’s interesting, because everything is unpredictable and complicated. Just take it out of the oven, see what came out, where and how many crystals formed. The only thing I know for sure is what color my product will be,” he adds.
In addition, A. Patamsis notices another phenomenon: “Working with crystal glaze is really very difficult. Now everyone wants to put in as little work as possible and sell as much as possible, but such creations no longer have lasting value. There is work here, great work.”
If it is possible to agree on the color of the product, then where and how the crystals will form is left to the will of God. “The other thing I always emphasize to people is that any product I create is one-of-a-kind. Neither the Chinese nor the Japanese can repeat it. Of course, the shape can be copied, but the arrangement of the crystals themselves cannot be copied. Of course, the prices also depend on it,” he says.
In the ceramicist’s studio you can also find quite unusual products – urns.
Algimantas became interested in making urns after looking at the products of another artist who also works with crystal glaze. “I saw someone making urns. I thought how interesting, how beautiful, maybe I should try it too. And just a few years ago, a crematorium was opened in Lithuania, in Čedaini. I thought I would contact the founders – we called and agreed that we will make an exhibition at the crematorium,” he says.
At the moment, the master is happy that more and more people are beginning to appreciate unique products. However, the production of such urns, which are decorated with crystal glaze, takes significantly longer than the production of other works of art. Algimantas says that it takes one day to make the mold, and it takes a week for the clay to dry, then at least another day for glazing, until finally the final firing.
According to the complexity of the work, the price is also appropriate – the urns cost up to 250 euros, regardless of whether they are smaller or larger. According to him, a smaller urn often requires much more attention and effort. The largest urns weigh approximately 4 kilograms.
The artist says that his works of art remind him of various celestial bodies, stars, clouds. It is not for nothing that most of his exhibitions are related to the sky. A. Patamsis says – most likely, this is because creative inspiration usually overwhelms him at night, looking at the starry sky.
“For some reason, it is not customary to keep urns at home in Lithuania. For example, in America it is very common to see an urn at home. Some put them in the ground, others keep them at home, others scatter the ashes and keep an urn at home as a memory. Others even share the ashes in multiple urns. In general, cremation itself is not yet so common in Lithuania. Only when people see how everything looks, they are convinced that there is no black smoke or something terrible. On the contrary, such a farewell is much simpler. You don’t have to see a person in a coffin, and it’s much easier to come to terms with the loss,” he shares his thoughts.
2023-09-19 19:46:20
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