The Process of Making Garden Pottery

To start the process, Tom takes several pieces of dense, high-fire earthenware clay and inserts them into one end of a large machine called an extruder. The machine works the clay to a good consistency. The clay then comes out on the other end in a cylindrical shape (figure B).

Next Tom prepares the spinning plate by centering it on the spinner and wetting it down with water. He centers the clay on the spinning plate. Now it's time to start throwing. Keeping his hands wet, he centers the rough clay mass until it's perfectly symmetrical. With the spinning plate turning, he starts forming the clay with his hands, gently and methodically raising and lowering them while forming it into the shape of a bowl and smoothing its sides.

He gently pokes a hole in the center of the clay and widens it to form an opening at the top (figure D). Using a needle tool, Tom pokes the inside base of the bowl to ensure that it measures out to a half-inch thick.

Before adding more height to the container, the clay needs to dry and stiffen up. Tom uses 250-watt heat lamps to aid in the drying process (figure F). The pot will be set on spin dry on high heat for one hour.

To add height to the bowl, Tom will add a few coils, or extra layers, of clay to the top. Before adding a coil to the bowl, he scores the top edge (figure G) and spreads a layer of slip to the surface. Slip is wet, goopy clay that acts as an adhesive. This step allows the fresh clay to hold on tightly to the dry clay.

Tom pulls a long spaghetti-noodle-shaped piece of clay from the extruder. The piece is long enough to wrap around the top rim of the bowl. He sets the clay noodle around the bowl's rim and attaches it like pie dough, smoothing the ends of the clay noodle down onto the sides of the bowl (figure H). When it's snugly set onto the rim, it's time for another throw-down.

With his hands wet, he works the clay noodle upward until it is smooth and is worked completely into the bowl, making it deeper. This coil gives the pot about five inches of lift. He uses a wooden tool to give the sides a smoother, more finished look (figure I). The pot is set in front of the heat lamps for another hour before adding additional coils and repeating the process until complete.

For the final layer of the lip of the pot, Tom adds another noodle-shaped piece of clay to the top and attaches it to the rim. Using the wooden tool and his fingers, he smoothes the pot's sides and rim, giving it the finishing touches.

When complete, he allows the pot to dry for a least a week until there's no trace of moisture remaining (figure J); otherwise the pot will later explode in the kiln. In extreme weather, Tom stores his freshly made pots in a room where temperature and moisture can be controlled. If the pot dries too fast or too slow, it'll crack, and he'll have to start all over.

When the pot is completely dry, Devora sprays on a coat of glaze. The glaze is a silica mix with iron oxide added to give it a deep red color. The process is similar to making glass, so there's no color or a glossy surface until it's baked in the kiln. The pot is placed into the kiln (figure K) where it simmers at 1,985 degrees F for 15 hours. Then give it 30 to 36 hours to cool. Once finished, this work of art (figure L) is ready to be used in the garden.