Announcement    Welcome to my shop!
All of these pieces are handmade by me in my Oakland, CA studio.
Browse through my pate de verre (glass), alternatively fired ceramics, and encaustic paintings/collages.
I'm friendly. Let me know if you have questions. Or if you wish a piece was a different size, color, shape. I might have what you want in inventory.
You can also check me out at smokeandclay.com and acga.net/acga-member/AndreaCiak.


Pate de verre (literally "paste of glass") is a method of glass kiln casting. After making a wheel-thrown or hand-built model, I construct a plaster mold from it. I then mix crushed colored glass (frit) the consistency of sand with a binding agent to form a paste. I apply glass powders and several layers of the glass paste (or just the glass paste) to the inside of the mold, and then fire it to the point where the glass frit fuses without completely melting together. The powders fire smooth, but the frit retains its sandy texture. After cooling the mold is broken away. Each piece requires a new mold and is therefore unique.

I begin my ceramic pieces by wheel throwing or slab building, may add color with stains or colored clay, then burnish (polish) to a smooth, stone-like finish, adding visual depth & inviting tactile as well as visual enjoyment. They are then naked raku, horsehair, saggar, or pit fired. No glaze is used in these "alternative" firing techniques. Rather, colors & patterns develop when smoke, copper, salt, &/or iron fumes penetrate the clay, resulting in a fusion of form & pattern.

Encaustic comes from the Greek for "to burn in." Encaustic paint is composed of beeswax, damar resin, and colored pigments. It is applied in its molten state and fixed with heat. Encaustic paintings are durable, but should be treated like an fine art. In particular, they should not be exposed to direct sunlight or extreme temperatures. As the wax cures, it develops a hazy residue called "bloom." This can be removed by gently running with a soft, lint free cloth.