The Process

My pieces are individually crafted from slabs of buff (off-white) or tan stoneware Miller clay from Ohio. All are hand built using simple clay tools and wooden or paper templates. No slip casting is done. The lettering is hand stamped one letter at a time. Numbers for address and circa plaques are cut out of thin slabs of clay and mounted on the textured surface individually.

When dried, the pieces are placed in the kiln and fired to a temperature of around 2250*. The entire firing process takes over 24 hours with heating and cooling time. The first (bisque) firing turns the clay to durable ceramic which will withstand all outdoor weather conditions including freezing winter temperatures.

Next, the pieces are glazed (painted) using mid-fire clear and colored ceramic glazes and then glaze fired at the same high temperature to fuse (melt) these glazes onto the surface. The glazes create a hard, shiny, durable surface that is easy to clean. The colors will never fade, even when exposed to constant sun light.

The entire process can be completed in as few as 7 days. However, because I want to fire a full kiln, with the price of electricity as it is, my goal is to ship your item within 14 days of receiving the payment and information.