I thoroughly enjoy making every piece that comes out of my studio. Clay is a wonderfully responsive material that lets me push it, pull it, stamp it and mold it. Each piece goes through multiple stages to reach it’s finished form. Following is a brief description of the various steps.

Throwing & Forming

Whether it’s a coffee mug or a kitchen canister, each piece is initially thrown on the potter’s wheel. After pulling and shaping the piece it is taken off the wheel and kept moist to await decoration. In the case of a basket or casserole the form is thrown on the wheel as a bottomless cylinder. When the form sets up a bit it is then formed into the desired shape. A slab bottom is rolled out and attached and then the piece is set aside for decorating.

Attachments

Many of the pieces have attachments such as handles. This is done just prior to the surface decoration as soon as the piece is dry enough to handle without it being distorted or damaged. I take great care to be sure that each handle is both functional, pleasing to hold and visually interesting.

Surface Decoration

I spend a great deal of time decorating the surface of each piece. As a result the surface of my pieces are highly ornate and detailed. I do not set out to make pieces that are identical to one another. I allow the piece to dictate what combination of stamps and slip trailing is best suited for it and work from there.

When the piece is at just the right stage of dryness I decide the appropriate pattern and then I stamp the piece using a variety of materials as stamps such as jewelry, buttons, mechanical bits or stamps that I have made out of clay or wood. I often combine two or more stamps that compliment one another to create a pattern. The stamping process creates designs with varying heights and textures that are both tactilely and visually interesting.

Next I apply colored slips, which are essentially diluted clay with metal oxides added for color. Much of the design is done by slip trailing directly onto the piece by hand. Slip trailing is done using squeeze bottles with very fine tips for the intricate details. Slip trailed designs remain raised and create a convex surface in contrast to the concave stamped surface adding another dimension to the piece.

Firing and Glazing

After being fully air dried, each piece is first fired once (1825 degrees F) to a semi-vitreous state. This allows me to safely apply the glaze without damage to the work. All of my glazes are carefully formulated by me to be completely lead-free and food safe. Once glaze has been applied each piece is then fully fired (2160 degrees F) and ready to be used.