Hand made usable wheel-thrown potteryHow It's Done 
Sgrafitto - age old technique With a unique style.
Traditional storage vessels, such as water jars and seed pots, are the inspiration for wheel-thrown pottery forms. During the throwing, flexible steel ribs are used to compress and smooth the surface of the clay, which will become the ground for an incised slip drawing. The pot and the drawing are conceived together as elements of one fully integrated object.
Before the pot is fired, a thin slip, or watered-down clay, which has been stained with metallic oxides (iron, copper, cobalt, and manganese) is brushed over the surface. The whole edge of a knife blade, or only the point, may be used to scrape away large areas of color or create fine, narrow lines. This technique permits sensitive control in creating the image in positive and negative space.
Emphasis on contrast between light and dark, the play of shadows, is especially effective in black and white and contributes to the realism of the imagery and wildlife forms. Geometric border designs related to the subject of the drawing are used to emphasize particular areas such as the rim, shoulder or foot of the pot.
The high-fire, matte, stoneware glaze imparts a smooth, touchable surface while contributing to the elusive atmosphere of the drawing underneath.
This is functional pottery, designed to be used. The pieces have lead free glazes and are microwave and dishwasher safe.
1. First the idea....
2. Clarified by drawing...
3. The piece is formed on a wheel by hand. Wood and metal tools are used to smooth the surface.
4. Colored slip, clay thinned with water, is brushed over the whole pot..
...or sponged lightly over cut paper stencils...
5. Images are carved into the pot, scraping away the slip and exposing the clay beneath. Finishing techniques can be used to achieve different effects. The background may be left dark or partially sponged off. The pot is bisque fired to about 1800 degrees Fahrenheit to set the color and make it less fragile.
6 . A glaze, usually a white matte, is applied by dipping or spraying. The piece is then fired again to about 2200 degrees.