Hello and thank you for visiting my shop!
I am living my dream of using my skills as an artist to make handmade functional pottery and art. What I have discovered is that when you do what brings you joy that your soul will truly shine and so I named my shop Soul Shine Pottery.
I studied art all through high school and went on to study at Radford University’s studio art program for a period of time. However, life happened and while I have always continued on some level to pursue my artistic interests, I found myself working in a totally different field for most of my adult life.
I eventually found my way back to my art and now work out of my home where I have setup my pottery studio in my basement.
Clay has always been my favored material whether in sculpting or making pottery. I enjoy all aspects of the ceramics process and realize that pottery teaches patience. There is no step in the pottery process that can be rushed or hurried. For me that is a valuable lesson.
I truly hope that you will find and enjoy a piece of pottery in my store. All of the functional items are made to be enjoyed and used.
Thank you for stopping by to look.
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https://www.facebook.com/soulshinepots<br />
The Story of How Pottery Is Made At Soul Shine Pottery
The following is the step by step process that is necessary to make each pottery piece from start to finish:
Step 1 – cut and weigh the clay
Step 2 – Wedge (kneed) the clay to remove any air pockets
Step 3 – Throw the clay on the potter’s wheel
Step 4 – When dry to leather hard, pull handles and attach them
Step 5 – Put back on the wheel and trim or turn the bottom
Step 6 – Allow to air dry (depending on weather can take up to 1 week)
Step 7 – Clean up any rough edges
Step 8 – First firing in the kiln to cone 04 (approx 1900 degrees) called the bisque firing
Step 9 – Wash the bisque dust off of the pot
Step 10 – Wax the bottom of the pot to prevent any fusing to kiln shelf
Step 11 – Glaze the pot – some have as many as 3 glazes each of which requires 2 to 3 coats and must be allowed to dry in between each coat
Step 12 – Second firing in the kiln called glaze firing to Cone 6 (approx 2290 degrees) takes 8 to 13 hours, then must be allowed to cool before opening the kiln .
Step 13 – grind the bottoms of the pots to make sure they are smooth
By the time the above process is complete, each piece will be in and out of the potters hand at least 22 times. Pottery most definitely teaches patience in the process.
Isaiah 64:8
But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.