News — Ceramic Art

When you hold a ceramic mug, you're experiencing the result of a beautiful, careful journey. Making handmade pottery isn’t a one-step process — it’s a dance between clay, fire, creativity, and time. Here’s a peek behind the scenes at the stages every handmade ceramic piece goes through. 1. Preparing the Clay First, we wedge the clay — a bit like kneading dough — to remove air bubbles and create a smooth, even consistency. Good clay prep makes a huge difference! 2. Forming the Shape Depending on the design, we use techniques like: Throwing: Spinning clay on a wheel to form...

Falling in love with handmade pottery often comes with a few new words. At Sajo Ceramics, we want to make the world of clay and glaze feel welcoming, not overwhelming. Here's your guide to common pottery terms every ceramics enthusiast should know! Key Pottery Terms Bisque: Pottery that has been fired once but not yet glazed. Clay Body: A specific blend of clay, minerals, and sometimes organic materials used to create ceramics. Coil Building: A hand-building technique where clay "snakes" are stacked to form shapes. Firing: The process of heating pottery in a kiln to harden it and make it...

When you hold a handmade mug, you’re feeling more than just clay and glaze. You’re feeling the hours of work, the artist's hands, and a story that’s uniquely its own. At Sajo Ceramics, we believe handmade matters — and here’s why: What Makes Handmade Ceramics Special Individuality: Every handmade piece has subtle differences in shape, texture, and glaze. No two are exactly alike. Human Touch: Handmade pottery carries the marks of the artist — a thumbprint here, a slight curve there. Intentional Design: Artists consider every element: weight, balance, beauty, and how it feels in your hands. When you sip...

Have you ever held a handmade mug and thought, "I want to make something like this!"? If so, you're not alone. Pottery is a beautiful, rewarding hobby that connects creativity with craftsmanship — and the good news is, getting started is easier than you might think. At Sajo Ceramics, we're passionate about handmade artistry. Whether you dream of throwing pots on a wheel or hand-building little dishes at your kitchen table, here's your guide to beginning your ceramics journey! What You Need to Get Started 1. Basic Tools Clay (stoneware is a great beginner choice) Wooden modeling tools Wire clay...

Ceramic bisque, often simply called "bisque," refers to pottery that has been shaped, dried, and fired once in a kiln without any glaze. This firing process, called a "bisque firing," transforms the raw, fragile clay into a hardened, porous state, making it durable enough to handle yet still absorbent enough to accept glazes.  Bisque Stage The bisque stage is key in pottery because it prepares the piece for decoration, especially for glazing. During bisque firing, the clay’s chemical structure is altered as water and organic materials are burned off, making it less vulnerable to breakage. The texture of bisque is...