- THE MAGAZINE What can be said about a glaze? Plenty! We have
all been in the position of trying to describe our favorite
glaze to another potter or to ourselves. If the actual glaze is
not present, the verbal account can leave a lot to the
imagination, which can produce an inaccurate image. The glaze
description language is an agreed-upon meaning to the many
characteristics found in glazes. It uses several key words and
phrases to define a glaze. The idea, as with all languages, is
that everyone understands what is meant by the standardized
terms that classify a glaze. The glaze description language
allows the listener or reader to formulate an accurate mental
image of how the fired glaze looks and functions. One area of
potential error occurs when writing or describing glazes. Many
potters still refer to a glaze formula by its popular name. For
example, we have all called glazes Randy’s Red or Bob’s Blue.
While there is a certain personal and informal quality in
referring to glazes in such a manner, it can