FAQ
I enjoy pottery and ceramics. I also enjoy helping people do pottery and ceramics. I have a day job and pottery is strictly for fun and therapy. There's limited options for making ceramics in East Orlando, so I thought the community might enjoy having somewhere nearby to fire and learn.
My kiln is approximately 10 cubic feet and the internal dimensions are 31" tall by 27" across. Shelves and posts have to fit into there, and generally things need a little room to expand in the heat, so 30 x 26 is probably the maximum.
Practically, that means 100 to 120 mugs or 40 to 50 soup bowls. Here's a helpful PDF.
If you want to get one bag of clay to play around, you can get that from me. If you're more of a production potter, intending to make work consistently, you're probably better off buying clay on your own, and renting kiln space. Your best bet is to think about how much you're going to work and do your own calculations. I would use three to four boxes of clay to fill my kiln making mugs. Your mileage may vary.
Traditionally, ceramics are fired twice. The first firing is called a bisque fire. It transforms bone-dry clay, called greenware, into bisqueware, which has had the chemically bonded water removed from it, but has not been completely turned into ceramic yet. Bisque is still porous and will readily accept glaze, via dipping or brushing. We bisque to Cone 04 (about 1945* F) at this studio, unless you are paying for the whole load, in which case I'll bisque to whatever you want.
Glaze firing is the final firing, where your pot becomes ceramic. We glaze fire to Cone 6 (about 2200* F) and this melts and bonds the glaze to the underlying clay. The piece is transformed into a vitrified whole.
Maybe. Someone helped me get started in pottery almost 30 years ago. He is still a good friend. If I can help you on your journey to making pots, I'm happy to share what I know.
I think I'm a good instructor for certain kinds of students. I'm fairly hands-off because I believe that much of wheel-thrown pottery is based on feel. I can't teach feel -- it comes with experience. I can teach you what I do, show you how to do it, and coach you on issues that I observe in your technique. But I can't make you use exactly the right pressure, at exactly the right moment. That comes with experience.
My preference is to work one-on-one, however, I'm starting to get inquiries about two-on-one experiences for couples or friends who want to do something together. I'm happy to do work this way, too. It just means we'll have to share one of the wheels if I'm demonstrating something. I charge a bit more for two-on-one because it creates more work for me in preparation and clean up.
My studio is at my home, on my back patio, by my pool and our orchid collection. It's peaceful and since it's central Florida, the weather is generally great for working outside. I don't advertise the exact address. It's in East Orlando (shocker) and I'm in the Waterford Lakes area. When you come here, you'll likely meet my wife Angie, too. Also, my Great Dane, the Duchess Wilhelmina. And some assortment of my kids depending on who's home. It's a busy place!