Pottery shapes clay into vessels and objects, then fires them to make the shape permanent. The clay body can be earthenware, stoneware, or porcelain. Each matures at a different temperature and behaves differently on the wheel or in the hand. Earthenware is porous and fires low. Stoneware is dense and durable. Porcelain is white, translucent, and difficult to throw because it slumps easily.

Hand-building covers pinch pots, coil building, and slab work. Wheel throwing makes round, symmetrical forms faster once the potter has the skill. After shaping, the piece dries to leather-hard, gets trimmed, then dries completely to bone-dry. The first firing, called bisque, hardens the clay. Glaze is applied next. The second firing, the glaze firing, melts the glass layer onto the surface.

Main clay types

• Earthenware — low-fire, porous, warm colors, good for decorative work
• Stoneware — mid-to-high fire, durable, good for daily use
• Porcelain — high-fire, white, translucent, demanding to work

Kilns run on electricity, gas, or wood. Wood firing leaves ash and flame marks that no glaze can imitate. Those surfaces are unpredictable, and that is exactly why some potters chase them.