Hand
and
  Heart  Ceramics

By profession, I am a hand therapist who treats patients with a variety of hand injuries. However, my passion centers around my pottery.  Hence the name, "Hand and Heart Ceramics"

My work is primarily functional stoneware that I market at local craft shows. Selling is hard work but I really enjoy talking to people about my craft. I love it when customers come back to tell me how much they use my piece or how lovely it looks on their table.

I love creating pottery pieces by "throwing" clay on the wheel, trimming and firing, and decorating with my own special glazes.  I texture blues and greens together to get different shades and hues.  

I make all my glazes from recipes found on the web and in pottery books and I constantly test new recipes of glazes and slips to enhance my palette of colors. Testing takes lots of time and patience, but it is very worthwhile when you open the kiln and find a color that you love! 

I apply glazes by brushing, dipping, pouring and spraying. At the present time I am also experimenting with colored slips. On this 16 inch platter I am trying a new design using slip decorations.

Here is the finished platter waiting for a slow drying before bisque firing.  Come back soon to see how it looks with a clear glaze on top!

Detail of flowers.

This large platter, also about 16 inches, can be used as a centerpiece on a table with candles, as a serving tray for food or as a birdbath in the garden! Displayed on a stand, it has a special elegance. I was lucky to find the perfectly fitting stand at a local bird store.

I love the combined effects of dipping and spraying glazes. I dip my mugs first and then spray different colors on top. One glaze plays on top of the other and can give gorgeous subtle effects not achieved by a single glaze alone. The fired glaze can sometimes look like it is an inch thick when this method is used.

Here are two winners from my latest glaze testing.  It is sometimes funny how this happens. I was looking for a black glaze and a green glaze. The one on the left was a black glaze (I thought). It is a wonderful blue! The glaze on the right is called Antique Green. I love how it looks on iron rich clay!