Process
How gas-fired, reduction-fired pottery is made in Hawaii
Every piece goes through the same steps. What comes out of the kiln is still up to the fire.
Shape by hand
Each piece is thrown, pinched, coiled, or carved by hand. Relief tiles are carved from slabs, with the image built up and cut back until Mauna Loa or an ʻōhiʻa blossom stands off the surface.
Dry slowly
Clay has to give up its water evenly or it cracks. In Kaʻū that means watching the trade winds and the sun on the lava, and covering work when the air turns dry.
Bisque fire
A first, lower firing turns raw clay into ceramic. It is hard enough to handle but still porous, so it will drink in glaze.
Glaze
Glazes are dipped, poured, or brushed. On the shelf they look nothing like the finished color. Many of the colors only appear in a reduction atmosphere.
Gas firing with reduction
The gas kiln climbs for hours. At the right point the air is cut back so the flame runs short of oxygen. The fire then pulls oxygen out of the clay and glaze, which changes the metals in them. Iron, copper, and other oxides shift color in ways an electric kiln cannot match.
Cool and open
The kiln cools on its own time. Opening the door is the moment of truth: where the flame traveled, how heavy the reduction was, and where each piece sat all show in the glaze. No two pieces alike.
What reduction firing means for the piece you hold
In a reduction firing, the kiln's atmosphere is part of the glaze. The front of a mug that faced the flame can read differently from the back. Glaze can break thin over carved edges and pool deep in the low spots. Those marks are not flaws. They are the record of one particular fire on one particular day.
That is why every listing in the shop shows the actual piece, and why a piece, once sold, is gone.
Questions people ask
Is the work made for display or for use?
Every piece in the gallery is fine art made for display: reliefs for the wall, collector pieces and limited-edition earrings. Installed tile for homes and hotels comes with its own care sheet.
Why does my piece look different from the photo of another one?
Because the fire decides. Two pieces from the same glaze bucket can come out a different color depending on where they sat in the kiln.
Can I order a custom piece?
Yes. Send me a message with what you have in mind.