CLAY
The majority of my work is made using North Carolina clay. Some clays are processed and used in the clay body and others are used only in glazes. I dig some of the clay from creek beds in the foothills of North Carolina and I also source a variety of other clays from a supplier dedicated to local materials, Starworks Ceramics.
MAKING
Each piece of dinnerware is made by hand on the potter's wheel. Plates are thrown on bats to prevent warping. After each piece is thrown it must dry for a couple of days before the bottom is trimmed.
DRYING
Once trimmed, the pots are then dried out completely for a week before being bisque fired.
GLAZING
The glazes that I use are made from scratch using local materials whenever possible. I prefer to stick to simple glaze formulas, sometimes only consisting of hardwood ash and clay.
WOOD KILN
The work is fired in a 60 cubic ft wood burning kiln that sits in a valley in the foothills of North Carolina.
FUEL
Wood is cut, stacked and left to dry out completely before being used as the fuel source for the kiln. Wood firing is an ancient method of firing that gives the pots a little extra magic from wood ash and flame making their mark on the pots.
LOADING
Glazed dinnerware stacked in the wood kiln prior to the firing. The process of loading the kiln usually takes the better part of a day.
FIRING
The firing usually lasts around 8-10 hours. The pots are fired to 2400 degrees by manually feeding wood into the kiln until it reaches peak temperature.
END RESULT
Finished work unloaded from the wood kiln. Pots are then lightly sanded and washed before heading out into the world.
