The Process

There is so much that goes into making one single piece of ceramics.  The process it’s a combination of science, chemistry, exploration, experimentation, play, research, design, art, equilibrium, passion, love and heart.   It is filled with losses, successes, messes, dust, cleanups, ups, downs, uncertainty and many lessons learned.  Once you think you have it down, the material just wants to do what it wants to do, twist, turn, break amongst other things.  This makes my journey of working with clay a very humbling experience.  

The process is just as beautiful, fun & important as the final product

 

Creating Form 

Wet clay is formed by using different methods, such as the potters wheel and hand building. It is then left to dry so it becomes ‘leather hard’ when the clay is stiff just enough so the form can be further refined and smoothed out. It is then set to dry very slowly so that the moisture evaporates and the pieces dry evenly. If forced to dry quickly, the pieces can crack and break. This process of controlled drying for me can take between 2-4 weeks. The more complex the form, the more stress the clay has undergone or the thicker the piece, the longer I let it controlled dry. Once dry, the pieces are ready for the kiln for bisque firing.

 

First Firing, Bisque

This first firing, through a combination of heat and time and a sprinkle of magic, clay becomes ceramic. I fire my bisque ware to 1945F (cone 04) in a slow firing process that can take me anywhere between 7.5hrs-18hrs. Then the kiln is set to cool for another 18+ hours to cool down to 115F so it can be opened, (this temperature is the temperature recommended by the kiln manufacturer for opening the kiln). After this first firing all ceramic pieces are washed with clean water to remove any clay/kiln dust that accumulates on the surface while in the kiln. After the pieces are dry, then they are ready for glazing.

 

Glazing & Second Firing

Glazing is the method by which a glaze is applied to the surface of ceramics. There are different methods of glazing, I use a combination of brushed applied (like painting) one by one 3 times, and/or dipped/poured. After the glaze is dry after it is applied, the pieces are ready for their second firing. Pieces are then glaze fired from 2167F to 2236F for stoneware functional ware (cones 5-6) or 1830F for earthenware (cone 06) and let to cool another 18-22hrs. After polishing the bottoms by sanding them with a diamond sanding disk and water, the pieces are washed and ready for you.


To see more process/progress pictures you can also visit the Studio's Instagram page at @francesbonetstudio