The Process - Behind the Scenes

Welcome to my studio. Here are some photos that document the process I go through to create my pottery. It all starts out as clay that is rolled out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Next, the slab is decorated by laying out leaves and flowers on the clay and then rolling them into the slab to transfer the detail of the plant material. After this impressions of objects such as shells or jewelry can be added.

After the slab is decorated, it can be cut into tiles, molded and cut into a platter, or torn into pieces and used to build a sculptural bowl like the one below. After being allowed to dry, the pieces are fired (bisque firing) and then painted using underglazes and mason stains. A clear glaze is then applied and the piece is fired again to achieve the final product.

Below is a set of photos that show the transformation from slab to final piece.

This is the slab of clay with the flowers and foliage pressed into it.

The platter made from the slab after it has gone through it's first firing and the underglazes and mason stains have been applied.

The final product after a clear glaze has been applied and the piece has gone through the glaze firing.

 

Have a Project in Mind?

Well, if you do - please feel free to email me or give me a call. I prefer to stay in the New England area, but if the project is interesting and something I want to do, you bet I will travel!

If you are interested in shipping flowers and foliage to make something for you, please also email me and I will give you detailed instructions of how to do that and also put you on my schedule.

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Life in a 200 year old house has it's little "issues". One of them is wildlife that decide that our home is a great place to hang out. Part of our basement has a dirt foundation, so it's pretty easy for snakes to get in. And they don't bother me much (and they do keep the mouse population in check).

During the winter the snakes enjoy the heat of my kilns and sometimes I will come down to check on a firing and find one of these little guys curled up on top of the kiln. Usually it's after they've gotten "too much of a good thing". This one we call a new type of "cone watch".