CERAMIC PROCESS

Majority of my pots are wheel thrown, using a high fire clay. After I throw the piece, I then turn it over and secure it to the wheel. I use a variety of tools to trim the bottom to create a foot so the pot stands evenly. Next, I load my pots into a kiln to be bisque fired at temperatures up to 1,300 degrees Celsius. After the pots are fired, I glaze them with cone 10 glazes and put my pieces back into the kiln for the final glaze firing. See below for throwing videos.

Raku firing is a traditional Japanese firing technique that dates back to the 1500s. Raku firing favours the aesthetic of Wabi - Cha or beauty in imperfection. The technique involves using a smaller, gas kiln that can be opened easily. Glaze pots are placed into the kiln and heated rapidly to temperatures between 800 to 1,000 degrees celsius. Once the pieces are glowing hot, they are taken out with a pair of tongs and either placed aside to cool, or placed into a trash can filled with newspaper and sawdust. The trash can acts as a reduction chamber and limits the amount of oxygen that interacts with the glaze. This creates beautiful and unique colours on the piece. The use of a reduction chamber is a western adaptation to the traditional Japanese technique. See below for videos.

Throughout my time at the University of Hawai'i, I have had the opportunity to learn the craft of glass blowing as well as a variety of glass casting techniques. Glass blowing involves using a hollow metal pipe to gather molten glass from a furnace, which is heated at 1,090 degrees Celsius. Your breath is used to blow into the hollow pipe to create a bubble, then the glass is reheated in another hot furnace and tools are used to shape the piece.