From Start to Finish  

 I get an idea and if it
is an animal, I will take a photograph of it for  reference. I use wet clay to create the bird or mammal and bring it to life.  I try to give the animal a smile and some  movement - a turn of the head or twist to the body.   I let the sculpture dry. When it is almost dry I will carve in the details. 

  If I make a jar for my animal to sit on, I will use a pencil to draw a design onto the clay. A jar is functional but also acts as a pedestal.  I paint 3 layers of underglaze onto the dry clay (greenware) -both the sculpture & the jar. I put the piece in the kiln and bisque it.The clay is "baked" for about 13 hours. It goes up to 1945 degrees F. At the end of this stage the piece will be similar to a plain flowerpot.

When it has cooled, I take it out of the kiln and paint 3 layers of glaze onto the piece. It is what gives the sculpture and jar that glassy, shiny look and it should be nonporous. The pink color in this photograph is actually the clear glaze. The toucan is on the lower right of the picture.   

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                                                                                         This is the finished piece after the final firing.  

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