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burns to a light or dark green color depending on die proportions of
ingredients used. Aldiough the Meaderses considered spar glaze to be
an effective replacement for their favorite ash glaze, its constituents
are actually closer to those in lime glaze.
A flower crock made by Cheever Meaders in die 1950s is inscribed
ChEEVER MEAdERS/CLEVELANd GEORglA/MOSSSY CREEK gREEN in
apparent reference to the spar glaze. This rare signature piece may
have been Cheever's attempt to capitalize on the new glaze by
associating it with his pottery. But Arie Meaders thinks die "Mosssy
Creek Green" appellation was coined by tourists: "They'd call it [the
spar glaze] green and it wasn't green. It was a clear glaze,
transparent." She feels all of the concern only confused her husband,
though the unmistakable inscription on Cheever's vase leaves this
interpretation open to question.
Arie herself used the spar glaze for some of her earliest pieces of art
pottery. Cheever used both it and unadulterated Albany Slip for his
later facejugs. For his part, Lanier Meaders coats the larger share of
his ware today with spar glaze, which he finds is a reasonable approximation
of an older, homemade finish. Nevertheless, he would like to
return to making ash glaze when it is feasible to do so.