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With a collection of over 2,000 molds, we pour, clean, fire, and paint our own ceramics.
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Pour:
The first stage in creating a ceramic piece is to pour slip
into a plaster mold. Slip is liquified clay, and the mold has a design cut out on the inside. The mold absorbs water
from the slip, leaving a thick clay body. After letting the slip set in the mold for a while for a thicker result, we pour
the remaining liquid slip out, and soon remove the mold pieces. What's left is a soft, damp imprint of the inside
of the mold, called "greenware."
The picture below shows the removal of the top mold piece.
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| Click picture to enlarge |
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Clean:
Once you let the damp greenware dry, it is
ready to be cleaned. Even dry greenware is still very fragile. Because the mold is in two pieces, it left a
seam line all the way around the piece. By using special ceramic carving tools, you carefully sand down those areas and
any other surface defects for a smooth and perfected finish. Lastly, you wipe down the piece with a damp sponge
to clean the dust off from the sanding.
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Fire:
After cleaning, the greenware is ready to be fired for the
first time. It will be placed in what is called a ceramic kiln, basically like an oven. By firing the greenware,
the clay is hardened and is now in a ceramic state.
The picture below shows the "Before" and "After" effects. Notice the greenware is a darker grey/brown,
while the other piece that was fired is white.
The picture below shows our large kiln on the left, and a smaller kiln on the right.
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| Click picture to enlarge |
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Paint:
Once the ceramic piece has cooled, it is ready to be painted! Depending
on the type of piece you are doing, you may paint on a protective coating of white primer. The next step is to paint!
Once you are done, the last step is to spray the ceramic with a protective coating to preserve the paint. The piece is now
complete!
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