About the Studio
My studio specialises in functional ceramics meant to bring warmth and life to your home. I take traditional studio pottery techniques and give them a contemporary spin, creating one of a kind pots just for you. The studio is nestled in The Old Stables in Wantage, Oxfordshire.
About the Artist
Avery is a ceramicist and pottery instructor from the United States. After spending her early 20s studying gender and folklore in the US and Canada, she moved to the UK and turned her beloved ceramics hobby into a full-time business. Avery has been studying ceramics since she was 8 years old and has had the pleasure of learning from a wide variety of instructors, including Libby Gillies, Ian Gwynne, Austin Gannon, and Hristiyan Pavlov. She has spent the past few years up to her elbows in clay, teaching eager students and making her own artwork.
The Ceramic Process
Step 1
The Clay
Our main clay is stoneware, a mid-firing durable clay that is good for functional items and decorative items alike. In its raw form, it is soft and malleable, perfect for shaping by hand or on a wheel. It comes in many colors, ranging from white, buff, red, and even black.
Step 2
Throwing
Most of our products are thrown on a potter's wheel. The clay is stuck on the wheel and shaped by hand as the wheel spins along. Water is used to help the clay glide smoothly.
Step 3
Trimming
After a pot is thrown, it is left to dry until the leatherhard stage. At this point the pot is firm, but still damp. It is stuck back onto the wheel and metal tools are used to refine the shape and carve away any excess bulk. Handles and other ornamentation can be added as well.
Step 4
Bisque Firing
Before a pot can be glazed, it needs to be fired to a low temperature to solidify. This process hardens the clay and prevents it from dissolving in water, but keeps the body porous so it can absorb glaze later.
Step 5
Glazing and Final Firing
After a pot has been bisque fired, we apply glaze to the surface of the pot. Our glazes are proprietary recipes and are mixed in-house. The colours come from chemical reactions in high heat environments as the glaze melts. Once cool, it creates a glassy surface on the outside of the pot.