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How Our Pottery is Made
| All wheel thrown pottery starts as a lump of moist clay, waiting to be shaped. We first knead the clay to remove air bubbles, we then center it on the pottery wheel by wetting the clay and forcing it into a cone shape.
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Centering the Clay
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| The vessel is formed by shaping the clay with our hands, pulling the vessel taller, pushing the walls wider, or compressing the clay to make the shape more narrow. |
First Step of Shaping
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| After formation, the piece is removed from the wheel carefully, it is very wet at this point and is easily damaged. The vessel is allowed to dry to a "leather hard" state, which takes 1-2 days depending on size and thickness of the piece as well as the humidity. It is then turned upside down and returned to the wheel to be trimmed. This involved removing excess clay, and further shaping of the piece. |
Trimming Excess Clay
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| After this step the vessel is set aside to dry further to a
"bone dry" state. This takes over a week in most cases. It
is very important that the clay be absolutely dry, or it will crack or explode
in the first firing. This first firing is called a bisque firing, and reaches about 1800 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Bisque Piece Before Glazing
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| When the firing is complete and the ware is cooled (approximately 24 hours later), the pieces are individually glazed and decorated. |
Glazed Ware ready to High Fire
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| The final firing or "high fire" reaches about 2300 degrees Fahrenheit. The pieces are then water tight and ready to use. |
Finished Glazed & Fired Ware
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Each Vessel is an Individual Creation.
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Pocahontas Downtown Art Association
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(under construction) |
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