Teapots are hand-built with textured slabs of red clay, dried slowly and fired twice. Handles are made from salvaged broken garden tools such as shovels and rakes.  The reclaimed wood is cut, turned, sanded, oiled and drilled through. Steel wire is then threaded through the handle, bent to shape, and attached to the teapot.

These mugs start with a block of soft, red clay and a rolling pin. I roll the squishy clay into thin slabs and texture them by pressing hand-carved stamps or texture tools into the soft slabs. I form and stretch the slabs into a variety of mug shapes, add a slab bottom and hand-pulled handles. These slab-built mugs need to dry slowly, and are checked throughout the drying process for any needed refinements. They are then bisque fired, glazed and fired again to a temperature that slightly melts the clay.  The pyroplastic clay moves slightly in the kiln, adding another layer of movement and personality.

Various pouring vessels. These are all slab-built with textured clay.  Forms range form simple to complex.

Large slab-built pots start with big, slightly thicker slabs of clay. Sometimes with texture and sometimes left smooth, these slabs are then formed into a variety of shapes. Some require cylindrical forms to wrap the slab and hold the shape.  Others slabs are draped over large molds made of thrown and bisqued clay. Some are a combo of both.

After a day of making large pots, it is always fun to go in the opposite direction and build some small pieces. Scoops and funnels are fun to make and added strips of leather add a warm, rustic look.