I got my hands dirty in my first ceramics class.
Well... let’s be honest, it was much more. I had clay all over my clothes, shoes, and even some in my hair. I was a mess. I was hooked. Clay is challenging and predictably unpredictable. But taking clay (literally rocks and dust) and turning it into functional art feels like pure magic.
…and the small slopes, grooves, and imperfections you see in your piece? That’s how you know it’s a hand-crafted original and not a factory-made replica. No two pieces should ever look totally identical. We wouldn’t date someone who looked like they came out of a box. Same thing with ceramics.
I use the earthy and muted tones of clay as a rich canvas for my colorful designs. My goal is to bring joy to the everyday. The pieces I create are unique, vibrant with a touch of whimsy, and sometimes, I like adding an element of surprise to them. I hope you enjoy using them every day as much as I enjoy creating and designing them.
A look into my firing techniques
Wood Firing
Wood firing, also known as reduction firing, uses organic material and starves the kiln of air. The wood needs oxygen to burn, so it finds it in the oxides in the glazes, which changes them and creates a myriad of stunning colors on the piece. The kiln reaches about 2400F at its peak!
The colors on the piece can vary depending on where it is placed in the kiln (high or low, close to the fire or away from it, and what’s next to it). Wood ash is deposited in the firing and creates a glaze of its own. No two pieces come out looking alike.
I use lead free, and not toxic glazes, so these pieces are functional and food safe. They are microwave, dishwasher, and oven safe. However, to prolong their life, hand wash when possible.
Raku
Raku is like playing with fire! The Raku technique is essentially when glazed ceramics are pulled out of a gas kiln while they are still glowing red hot and are placed in a bin containing combustible organic material such as sawdust or newspaper, that catches fire. The bin is immediately closed off, starving the piece of oxygen, which creates a myriad of stunning colors within a single glaze. The unpredictability of Raku is what attracts many artists to it.
Raku is a low fire process, reaching around 1830F (1000C) at its highest temperature, and thus not waterproof. While beautiful, raku ware is decorative rather than functional.
Electric
You own a unique piece that has been crafted with care and attention to detail. I enjoy designing and hand painting each piece, which is then twice fired. It is a long but worthwhile process.
The first firing is bisque; it fires to Cone 04 or 1945F. This makes it ready for glaze (the vibrant colors you see on the piece). I dip and hand paint the different glazes, and it is fired again at Cone 6 or 2232F. This firing vitrifies the piece (turns it into glass and makes it nonporous). If I add gold luster to it, it takes a third firing at 1319F to fuse the gold to the piece.
Creating ceramics is a slow process. It taught me both patience and humility, and failure is high. The life cycle of creating can be anywhere between three weeks (for small pieces) to five weeks (for larger and more complicated pieces). I’ve learned not to rush the process.
…And those small slopes, grooves, and imperfections you see in your piece? That’s how you know it’s a hand crafted original and not a factory-made replica. No two pieces should ever look totally identical. We wouldn’t date someone who looked like they came out of a box. ☺ Same thing with ceramics.
I use lead free, food safe glazes and these pieces are microwave, dishwasher, and oven safe. However, to prolong their life, please hand wash when possible.