06/13/2026
🏺✨ What you don’t always see in a custom order… ✨🏺
When a client requests a form I’m not already making regularly, I practice first.
For this order, the client wanted these pieces to finish at 11 inches tall. Sounds simple enough—until you remember that clay shrinks as it dries and fires. After calculating the shrinkage, I determined these pieces actually needed to be thrown at about 12½ inches tall while wet to finish at the correct height.
That takes a little math, a little muscle, and a lot of practice.
I started with a few test pieces using 5-pound balls of clay, gradually adjusting the form and pushing the height. Once I knew I could consistently achieve the shape and proportions I wanted, I moved up to 7 pounds of clay and threw the client’s piece.
In this photo, the finished client piece is in the front, with three practice forms lined up behind it. If you look closely, you’ll see each one gets a little taller as I dialed in exactly what I was after.
That’s one of the things I love about custom work—it’s never just about making the piece. It’s about solving the puzzle of how to make it well. 💚
Every finished pot has a story behind it, and sometimes that story starts with a few practice pieces and a ruler.
