At this point on my journey I rely on travel, residencies, and the generosity of other artists to provide me with facilities to make and fire my work. I consider myself to be in a stage of education and growth as a maker, wanting to learn and experience as much as I possibly can, while I can. I plan to eventually build my very own studio and kiln, but for now I am grateful to be consistently inconsistent.

As with any potter, my process begins with my clay. The clay we choose to work with is our very first aesthetic decision. I am currently designing and testing my very own clay bodies. Qualities that I find desirable in a clay body are good workability, high-firing temperature, and their potential for beautiful color when fired in atmospheric kilns. My future studio will have a nearby clay source that I will be able to harvest from and create with.

Spreading out to dry a batch of reclaimed porcelain with added red clay.

This material is beautiful.

Most of my pots begin on the potter's wheel. Here I will take you through the process of making a cup.

Every pot begins with centering.

Beginning to take shape.

Refining the curve.

Opening.

Refining the lip.

Painting on a thick slip, brushed texture.

After throwing several cups like this, I then have to wait a day or so for the clay to dry out to a stage called "leather-hard". At this stage I can safely handle the pots without distorting their shape or ruining their textures, and finish the foot in a process called "trimming", or "turning".

Clay thrown into a cone shape called a "chum"

Chum holding the pot to be turned.

Trimming, or "turning", a foot.

Finally, with the foot trimmed, I can go back in and decorate. I use a combination of tools including an xacto blade, to carve elegant designs into the surface of the cup.

Planning decoration.

Carving leafy patterns.

Finally, the cup gets my signature stamp. A small "h".

Finished!

What happens next? Read a little bit about the wood firing process here.

Huge thank you to Emily Kraus of Elouise Photography for the wonderful photos.