Celtic Clays produces fine handthrown pottery through a slow, meticulous process.

All items are handthrown on an electric potter’s wheel. Once the pots have been thrown, they are set in a racking system to air-dry before the lengthy process of decorating, altering, handling, turning, cleaning, sponging and finishing is begun. After decoration, the pots are air-dried for another 3 to 5 days, then packed into an electric kiln for their first firing. The kiln is fired overnight to a temperature of 960 degrees Celsius; it takes a day and a half to cool down enough for the pots to be unpacked and have their bases waxed to resist the glaze.

The pots are glazed using a variety of methods including dipping, pouring, and brushing the glazes on. These techniques help to enhance the spontaneous and random nature of the glaze so that no two pieces will ever be exactly the same. After glazing, the pots are individually checked and packed into the gas kiln.

The use of gas for fueling the kiln allows the pots to be fired in a reduction atmosphere, which reduces the amount of oxygen in the kiln. This creates conditions which further enhance the glaze, giving it its drippy, earthy effects.

The glaze firing takes approximately 8 1/2 hours to reach top temperature of 1300 degrees and a further two days to cool down. Once the kiln is cool enough, the pots are taken out, carefully packed, and shipped across the Atlantic ready to grace your table.

Shop for Celtic Tableware