Crafting Pottery

At Gills Rock Stoneware we use traditional methods to produce an ancient craft. The result is work which is at the same time both classic and thoroughly modern. Most of our work is hand-thrown on the potter’s wheel. This process relies heavily on the skill and talent of the potter. Although it is somewhat strenuous, especially when done on a full-time basis, we never tire of it. We also do some slip casting and slab and coil construction when it’s appropriate to a particular piece.

The clay we use is a white stoneware which combines qualities of both stoneware, known for its durability and strength, and porcelain, prized for its brilliance and color. Several different kinds of clay are combined to form the GRS clay body, each lending its own special traits. The result is a clay body which is strong and resilient, keeps hot things hot and cold things cold, and has a brilliance which works beautifully with our glazes. It provides the perfect backdrop for our artistic expression.

We apply the decorations to our work when the pieces are leather-hard. This is the half-dry state of clay when it will hold its shape and can be handled, trimmed and reformed. Our colors are made up of the clay we use in our clay body, mixed into a suspension which is roughly the consistency of thick cream, and colored oxides. We brush this mixture onto the work to create the decorations GRS is known for. After the decorating process, we allow the piece to air dry. We then bisque fire the work to approximately 1900º. When it cools down to room temperature, we remove it from the kiln and apply one of our several clear glazes. We then fire the piece a second time to approximately 2300º which completes the process.

We continue to challenge ourselves to innovate and improve aesthetically and technically at every level of our production. We feel this keeps both us and our work constantly evolving and improving.