Many months ago I created a roughly square ceramic plate on which I was going to use some creative glaze. After drying this was put in the kiln to bisque fire but unfortunately it cracked badly, possibly due to another piece of work being placed on it during firing, so creating some heat stress. I was disappointed but at least the plate was intact so I left it on the shelf in the studio. I would bring it down once in a while to think about what to do and then usually put it back again.
Then a few months ago I decided it was taking up too much space and I should experiment with some more glazes and finally use this piece. So, I dipped one half in assad black glaze and the other in white and then fired it, as this was my favorite combo at that time for several pieces I had created.
When I took the plate from the kiln I was immediately struck by the vision of a dark sky being torn asunder by a tornado tearing across the plain, with mountains in the distance.
A few more weeks passed and I thought why not add the most iconic red shoes to this scene as a finishing touch!
It would be great to hear of others’ stories of saving or reusing damaged pieces of art to create a totally new piece.
searching4theshot 
I don’t have any stories for you but this was a great post! Good stuff! You’ve got my follow. Check out my comedy blog and give it a follow if you like it!
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When Robert Rauschenberg (my favorite artist) tried to make his first lithographic print, the stone he was working with cracked. When a second stone cracked, he put various pieces together and printed a work he called “Accident”. It won first prize at an international competition.
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That’s fantastic! Thank you, Brian.
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Thank you for sharing this, Brian. It’s wonderful work. I will now also try to plug a crack in my ignorance by looking up works by Robert Rauschenberg. 🙂
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As a fan of Oz, love it! This reminds me of that post that makes the rounds on FB every year (I like it so much). Kintsugi is the Japanese word for repairing pottery with powdered gold. The photo they use is gorgeous and I’ve forgotten the “lesson” they want us to learn, but it has something to do with restored broken people who are beautiful. Great post, Richard!
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Thank you, Clarissa! Yes, that kintsugi lesson is probably something about making yourself whole again, but different…
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