DESIGN/tHROW/tRIM
ALTER/dRY/Bisque
GLAZE
Glaze fire/polish
The initial stages of pottery production include drawing & planning, wedging the clay & throwing the basic form on the potter's wheel.
This is my favorite part of the process. It is where all the dreaming and planning takes shape.
After a piece has been thrown, it is allowed to stiffen up to a leather hard stage. It is then placed back on the wheel to be further refined, by trimming excess clay from the foot of the pot.
At this same stage I am able to attach handles or alter the pot in a multitude of ways. The piece can now be slowly dried in preparation for it's first (bisque) firing.
The final firing is the glaze firing. The pots are placed in a kiln and fired to cone 6, which is approximately 2200 degrees F. This melts the raw materials in the glaze into glass.
Once the kiln has cooled I place the pots back on the wheel to sand the foot with diamond sandpaper. This detail makes the raw clay feel silky to the touch.
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Here's how it all works...
When pottery goes through the first firing process it becomes less fragile and easier to handle. At this stage I dip or pour glaze on each piece.
Glaze is "potter's paint", which is comprised of an array of raw materials mixed with water. Mixing glaze has been the most challenging part of this journey, and the most rewarding.
FROM THE STUDIO
Pottery is the most rewarding and challenging art form I have explored. It amazes and humbles me on a regular basis. This is what makes it so intriguing.
I like to think that my mind works better in 3 dimensions and that's why I am so drawn to clay versus two dimensional art. I have always like making things with my hands and have a love for the tactile nature of clay. It can be sticky, smooth, gritty, cold, warm, wet, dry, dusty, sloppy. The process can be tedius, with an element of "hurry up and wait" in order to get each piece at the perfect moisture content to be thrown, altered, trimmed, and fired. It's a never ending learning curve. Seems that only time, trial and error, and repetition can teach each lesson. It may just be chemistry, but there is something magical about it when you find the perfect combination of form, clay and glaze.
TO YOUR HOME
My goal is to create pieces that seamlessly fit into your space. Making objects with useful intent that also evoke a warm and comforting feeling in your hands. The negative space surrounding the piece being just as important as the positive space that it fills..
Art that tells a story with each carved line, fluted edge, and modern curve slipping down to the foot trimmed and sanded where it touches the counter or table top.
Art that writes a new story in your home as the familiar curves fit in your hands, cradling a hot cup of coffee or favorite snack.
