There is nothing fast about the process of creating ceramics…and the possibilities are endless, which is great, and sometimes overwhelming.

Decisions need to be made…

What type of clay will be used, what glazes, what techniques, what cone (this is the heat that the clay is fired to), lots and lots of decisions.

And then it’s time to create. This is a high level overview of what the process consists of…

1) Wedge the clay, ensuring it is uniform with no air bubbles

2) Center the clay on the pottery wheel.

3) Pull the clay into the shape of the mug, bowl, vase, etc

4) Let the clay dry (anywhere from 3-8 hours).

5) Remove the piece from the bat and flip over to finish drying.

6) Trim when leather hard.

7) Add a handle and/or design elements

8) Allow it to completly dry

9) First firing, to cone 04. Typically 8 hours.

10) Clean, sand, prepare the piece for glaze.

11) Glaze the pottery.

12) Second firing, to cone 6. Typically 11 hours. And then wait another 11 hours for the kiln to cool down - this is the hardest part for me. It’s like Christmas morning every time, I can’t wait to open the lid and see the finished results!