Guides
How to Combine Hand-Building and Throwing in One PieceCombining hand-building and wheel throwing gives ceramic artists a wider vocabulary of form. The wheel creates balance, rhythm, and a clean structural…
The Meaning Behind the Marks in Ceramic ArtA ceramic surface can hold a biography in miniature. A thumbprint, carved line, repeated dot, or deliberate interruption in glaze may reveal how an artist…
How to Build a Simple Pit Kiln in Your BackyardA pit kiln is one of the oldest ways to fire pottery. Instead of relying on an electric kiln with precise controls, you place unfired clay pieces in a…
My Favorite Local Spots for Finding Clay-Inspired PatternsBarcelona offers an endless supply of shapes, textures, and color combinations for anyone who works with clay. A cracked façade, a painted shop sign, or the…
How to Create a Crackle Glaze Effect in Ceramic ArtA crackle glaze effect gives pottery a network of fine lines across its surface, turning an otherwise smooth finish into something aged, tactile, and visually…
Making a large sculptural vessel without a wheelA large vessel can emerge from a studio without a potter’s wheel, a single throwing motion, or a perfectly symmetrical profile. Handbuilding gives the form a…
How Japanese wabi-sabi shapes my ceramic practiceMy work begins with attention: the uneven edge of a shell, the weathered surface of driftwood, the soft color left by saltwater on stone. These details remind…
Reclaiming Clay: Saving Scraps From The TrashEvery pottery studio produces leftovers. A trimmed foot ring, a cracked handle, a lump removed from an uneven wall, or a handful of dried clay can seem too…
How to Price Your Ceramic Art for Galleries and FairsPricing ceramic art requires more than adding up clay and glaze. Each piece carries the cost of design time, studio equipment, firing, packaging,…
The Culture of Tapas and the Pottery That Serves ThemTapas are served in small portions, yet the experience they create is expansive. A dish of olives invites conversation, a warm croquette passes from hand to…