The Process of Making a Pot on a Potters Wheel

THE PROCESS

     I make the bowl on a potter's wheel, then I wait until dry enough to trim the bottom.

               After trimming, I sometimes add a slip painting with a black mason stain.

                   This bird was attached after the pot is trimmed, including the lid.

                       I carve the names in the leather hard clay after it is trimmed too.

 After trimming, I hand sculpt the birds and attach. I then carve the names in when the pot is still a leather hard (not dry but not wet, it acts like leather thus the name) I then wait for it to dry, that takes about 5-7 days.

                              

Then I fire it in a kiln - this is the first firing called a bisque firing. the firing takes a day, and another day to cool, two days in all. Okay, now we are at the 9-10 day mark.

Back out it comes. I will then draw with the underglaze pencil if I am making moon faces.

 I then glaze the top and the birds if it is a ring dish. I wipe excess off the bottom and apply iron oxide on the outside and bottom and wipe it off so it is just in the carved areas and a         

stain on the clay. 

   If it is under-glazed with a painting or drawing I just dip, very carefully. in clear glaze. Then I fire it to a stoneware temperature, 2185 degrees. 

After waiting a day for the firing, again, and another day for it to cool, again. And if I am really lucky, ( I am getting luckier and luckier with experience, lol) the piece comes out looking gorgeous.

                             

                                                 And that is how each piece is made, 

just thought I would share, my husband thinks people would be interested in knowing this. I am going to make a video someday of the process. Someday.....