Inspiration

My inspiration comes from the aspects of my life that I love most, and those ideas that seem to come up over and over again without me trying.

I live in a high desert plateau, and find inspiration in the beings that have adapted to living here. The red tailed hawks that thrive in agricultural fields, the crows that raise their young in my neighborhood.

Anything that makes me pause and reconnect with the living world.

Making

Once an idea is ready to become a piece, here's what that actually looks like:

Throwing

Almost every piece begins on the wheel. I weigh out clay and wedge it (like kneading dough) to remove air bubbles. Then I center it on the wheel, imagine the intended shape, and pull it into form.

This stage requires the clay to be at exactly the right moisture level, and it takes years of practice to develop a feel for pressure, timing, and hand placement. No two throws are identical.

Drying

Fresh-thrown pieces are still pliable and unstable. They must be carefully and evenly dried before they can be handled. I use damp boxes which trap humidity and slow the rate of drying to help prevent problems down the line.

Trimming

As each piece dries, it will reach a state we call, "leather hard". It is then placed back on the potter's wheel to be trimmed. Excess clay is carved away from the base and walls to refine the shape, establish the "foot", and correct any surface defects.

Attaching Elements

Handles, lids, and decorative additions are attached at the leather hard stage after trimming. The moisture levels between the piece and the attachment have to match closely, or they'll separate during drying or firing. This is one of the most critical steps to get right, and is also one of the most time-consuming.

Surface Design

There are an endless number of ways to decorate the surface of a piece and translate an idea onto clay. My most common methods are: sgraffito, hand painting, mishima, carving, sculpting, and using tools to add texture. Some designs take minutes, others take hours. This is my favorite part of the process!

Final Drying

Fun fact: pottery will (quite literally) explode if fired before it's dry.

To prevent this from happening, we once again do a controlled drying process that allows each piece to evenly and completely dry before it is fired.

Bisque Firing

The first firing heats the kiln to over 1,900°F. At this temperature the clay undergoes a permanent transformation. Any organic materials burn away, the clay hardens, and it becomes what potters call "bisqueware".

This stage strengthens the piece and makes it porous, allowing glaze to fully adhere in the final steps of the process.

Hand Glazing

My pieces are all brush-glazed by hand. This is a very time consuming process that allows me to precisely control how much of each color is applied, and to create unique color effects. Glaze particles are suspended in water which is absorbed into the porous bisqueware. Once dry, it is a powdery coating that will essentially melt into glass during the final firing. The bottom of every piece is left unglazed so it won't fuse to the kiln shelf as the glaze melts.

Glaze Firing

The final firing brings the kiln to approximately 2,300°F — hot enough to melt the glaze into a smooth, glassy surface and turn the clay body into stone.

This is what makes the finished piece food safe, waterproof, and durable enough to use every day. The kiln takes the better part of a day to reach temperature, then cools slowly over another day before it can be opened.

The Result

You may hear potters mention a "kiln god" or talk about how humbling pottery is - and that mostly refers to the unpredictability of this process. Pieces can take a dozen or more hours to make, and be ruined at any stage for seemingly insignificant reasons.

The pieces that DO survive have undergone something magical: they are transformed from a lump of mud into functional art. Completely unique, in a process entwined with earth, water, air, and fire.

As someone who has spent years practicing this process, and who intends to spend a lifetime mastering it, it is an honor to share the art of pottery with you.