Did You Know?

Each of my handmade pieces take 7-14 days to create, start to finish

The process begins by forming each unique piece using raw clay. Once complete, it must be dried slowly for up to 1 week to ensure every bit of moisture has evaporated. “Bone Dry” is the term used to describe the state of clay that is kiln ready.

Next, bone-dry pieces are loaded into my kiln and fired to 1,945 degrees Fahrenheit. This first firing is called a “Bisque” fire, which takes approximately 24 hours to complete. After the Bisque fire is complete, the previously raw clay has transformed into a permanent state, that can no longer return to clay form.

Then comes my favorite part - design!

I hand paint each piece using underglaze – a special kind of clay-based paint that can withstand the intense temperatures of a kiln without moving or melting. This step can take anywhere from 1 hour to several days, depending on the complexity of the design.

I then apply one or more glazes to seal in the design before it goes back into the kiln for a final “Glaze” firing. Glazes are applied as a liquid, which dry into layers of powdery magic! This time, the kiln turns my layers of dried glaze into a molten, thick, beautiful, glossy, glass finish. It takes another 24-36 hours to reach 2,232 degrees Fahrenheit and then cool down completely.