Fritz Rossmann - Porcelain - a challenge for many ceramists

A great artist has passed away and a friend.
In his beautiful works he lives on....

In memory of Fritz Rossmann, we would like to review an interview from 2019 about his great passion.

Interview with Fritz Rossmann
Please describe your way from stoneware to porcelain
During my apprenticeship at Wim Mühlendyck from the mid-1970s, I used to throw only with stoneware. We produced Westerwald stoneware with salt glaze - in the very own style of Wim Mühlendyck, but e.g. I also had the opportunity to implement designs by Theodor Bogler, a well-known Bauhaus ceramist who lived in the Benedictine abbey of Maria Laach in the 1920s. During our apprenticeship it was already possible for us to experience a somewhat broader "ceramic horizon" than it was common in many workshops.
I made my first experiences with porcelain at the School for Ceramic Design in Höhr-Grenzhausen at the beginning of the 1980s. I was also supported by Wolf Mattes, who was teaching there at that time. In those days I worked mainly with stoneware, which already looked similar to porcelain due to the glazes I used. 
Since the beginning of the 1990s, when I joined the workshop group Grenzhausen, I have continued combining my passion for expressive ceramic vessels with my fascination for porcelain.
 

Fritz Rossmann - Porcelain - a challenge for many ceramists

 

The availability of suitable porcelain bodies certainly plays a decisive role here?

Exactly - that was not so easy in the 80s. At that time there were actually only 2 bodies on the market, from Wagner and Limoges - both were not so easy to process. In the 90's more bodies were launched on the market, which I had to try out of course! I was especially taken with the Australian "Southern Ice” at that time. The excellent processing properties on the potter’s wheel and the very good translucency were unique. However, it was not always available and also quite expensive. So I switched to the English porcelain bodies, which become translucent from 1220 °C and which I use in a reduced firing up to
1300 °C. Nowadays I mainly work with the porcelain body "Audrey Blackman", which is available at GOERG & SCHNEIDER under body no. 1101.

What are the special challenges when processing porcelain?

Porcelain bodies are characterised by a quite high total shrinkage. The predominant part of the shrinkage process takes place during the firing. This can also lead to deformation. 
I prefer to work with Audrey Blackman porcelain because it is easy to process both on the potter’s wheel and with building-up techniques. The drying properties are excellent and the very good translucency after firing emphasizes the character of my vessels.

Even when the bodies available today - such as "Audrey Blackman" (1101) - can be processed much better than qualities available in the past, there are still significant differences compared to working with  stoneware or earthenware bodies. Therefore, I recommend beginners who are interested in working with porcelain to take a "taster course". In this way, the entry into the work with this fascinating material is facilitated.

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