Bisque: Clay usually undergoes two firings. The first, or “bisque” is a low temperature firing which hardens the clay and makes it easier to handle prior to glazing.

Carved (sgrafitto): Much of my work has a carved element. Usually this involves applying a one or more layers of coloured slip (thinned clay), letting it dry partially, and then scraping through the layer to the underlying clay. The best results are achieved when the slip and the underlying clay are in contrasting colours. This is one of my favourite techniques.

Celadon: This is an iron-based glaze that I use in reduction firings. The colors I use are translucent and range from amber to green to blue. This glaze originated in China. See the link: http://www.e-yakimono.net/guide/html/celadon.html for more information.

Ceramic ink: I make up my own “ceramic ink” and use it to paint images on ceramic ware. The ink is made from coloring oxides and other chemicals. Usually I coat the piece with a white slip first in order to provide a smooth white canvas on which to paint. Generally I do the ink decoration when the piece is still wet and then glaze it once it has undergone a bisque firing.

Glaze: The glaze of a piece is the glass-like coating over the clay. Glazes can have many characteristics including glossy, matte, or textured. I make most of my own glazes from the base chemical ingredients. Functional ware has glazes that are selected to be food-safe.

High-fire: Clay and glaze are fired at various temperatures. I fire at cones 8 through 10 or approximately 1225 to 1260 degrees Celsius. The final temperature reached is variable depending on the time taken to reach the targeted cone.

Low-fire: Clay and glaze are fired at various temperatures. The low-fire work that I do is generally fired at Cone 04 or approximately 1050 degrees Celsius. The final temperature reached is variable depending on the time taken to reach the targeted cone.

Majolica: In Majolica, a tin-based glaze is applied over a terra-cotta clay body. Then an image is painted onto the white “canvas” using colored glazes or stains. A very painterly quality results. This glaze is traditionally a low-fire glaze–though I have experimented with a glaze called “fake majolica” which produces similar results at the medium fire temperature. I hope to experiment further with this technique to produce harder functional ware with a majolica “look”.

Mishima: With this technique, I engrave an image and then inlay colored clay or slip. Finally I scrape the surface leaving the colored inlayed line visible. See the following site: http://www.e-yakimono.net/guide/html/mishima.html for more information.

Medium-fire: Clay and glaze are fired at various temperatures. The medium-fire work that I do is generally fired at Cone 6 or approximately 1190 degrees Celsius. The final temperature reached is variable depending on the time taken to reach the targeted cone.

Oxidation fired: In oxidation, the pieces are in an oxygen-rich atmosphere throughout firing. My oxidation-fired ware is usually medium-fired in an electric kiln. Some pieces, however, are high-fired in oxidation.

Press-molded: To create press molded tiles, I first make a master tile and then cast it in plaster to create a mold. Clay is then pressed into the mold to create the press-molded tile. The line of tiles using this technique will expand in the future.

Reduction fired: In reduction, the pieces experience part of the firing schedule in an atmosphere that has reduced oxygen. This affects the glaze colour and characteristics and is most noticeable with copper glazes.

Slip: Many of my pieces use slip. This is essentially clay which has been thinned and often colored. It is sometimes called “engobe” or “vitreous engobe” although these terms have slightly different meanings. A slip is applied usually when the piece is still quite damp. Once the slip has dried a little it can be carved. Slip is also used to create a smooth white “canvas” on which to paint with ceramic ink or underglaze. I sometimes also use thickened slip to create texture. The piece can then be glazed or left unglazed and fired to maturity.

Underglaze: My low-fire and some of my medium-fire work makes use of underglaze. This is a colorant applied to the clay like a paint. The underglaze can be applied to clay in either the unfired state or after a preparatory “bisque” firing. A glaze is generally applied over top. I use both commercial underglazes and underglazes that I create myself from stains, oxides and other chemicals.