Each piece begins with a sketch that evolves into a hand drawn pattern. I trace the pattern onto clay slabs that I roll out with a rolling pin then attach them together by scoring the edges and applying clay slip. Once attached, I let the forms dry until they are leather-hard and then begin to trim them. When I am happy with the shape, I smooth the surface and reveal the final form. At this stage I cover them lightly with plastic to allow them to dry slowly over two weeks, which reduces the risk of cracking.
Then they are fired in the kiln reaching temperatures higher than 1900 degrees celcius. After this first firing they are sanded down to a smooth finish and rinsed to remove the dust. Once dry they are ready to be glazed.
I hand paint several coats of glaze onto each piece allowing time to dry between coats. The final glaze firing reaches temperatures higher than 1800 degrees. When the glaze fire is complete the pieces come out rich, shiny and smooth.
Every aspect of the process is done completely by hand. There are sometimes minor imperfections that occur such as inconsistency in the glaze, or a spot of glaze on the rim or bottom of a piece. Some variation is characteristic of handmade work and lend it personality and uniqueness.