Our clay is mined from deposits in the eastern US, dried there, and shipped to us in powdered form. Shadowlawn receives 8,000 pounds of powdered clay in 50-pound bags every two months. Master Potter Jan mixes it with local water in a cement mixer on site. He adds "secret ingredients" to make it stronger and resist cracking, which also makes the clay body unique to Shadowlawn.
|
|
From the Mixing Room, the clay is taken to the Pot Room and stored beneath plastic to keep it moist. Before it can be worked, the heavy gray stuff is "pugged" in a machine called a pug mill. This tool extrudes the clay into spaghetti-like tendrils, then smashes it back together under pressure to drive out the air. Such air pockets can be dangerous–if a pot has such a void in it, it will heat and cool at a different rate than the stoneware, making the piece explode during the firing phase. The clay comes out of the pug mill in a four-inch tube. It is cut in lengths and stored under plastic until needed.
|
|
The potter forms it into balls. When he's ready to work the clay, he literally throws the ball onto the center of the wooden platen on his potter's wheel. The inert clay appears to gain life beneath the artisan's talented fingers, springing upward to become a vase, a pitcher, or a bowl.
|
|
The artisan removes the platen from the potter's wheel to a table and runs a wire beneath the pot to separate it from the wood. He then puts handles on pieces requiring them, and marks each pot with the Shadowlawn stamp and his own signature. Master Potter Jan's signature is a double row of dots, made from the impression of his wedding ring.
|
|
The pots are carefully placed on wooden racks to dry. Then the artisans decorate the pieces with clay-based "slip." Only the Stars are done with templates so their edges are sharp: all other patterns are individually hand-applied with either a paint brush or a "slip trail bottle". A number of patterns incorporate both techniques. During this phase, the Cobalt Blue looks gray, and the Hunter Green appears very pale.
|
|
The stoneware is then loaded on smooth boards as the drying process continues. All stoneware must achieve a uniform pale gray color and not feel moist to the touch. If a pot is put into a firing while still damp, steam will build up inside its walls and it will explode.
|