JessiVanGundy

In 2005 I graduated from UCSB with a degree in Art Studio, which basically means that I make art. After that, I tried a bunch of things but nothing really resonated with me until I got back on a potter's wheel at a local ceramics studio. So at the end of August I opened this etsy shop to try to make a go of it.

I run a one woman business. I do all the designing, throwing, drawing, stenciling, carving, etc. myself.

A typical mug starts out as a ball of clay that I put on the wheel and manipulate into the shape of a cup. Once it's dry enough, I put it back on the wheel upside down and trim a foot ring into the bottom. Then I attach a handle and let it dry some more. To decorate it, I paint it with colored underglaze, sometimes using stencils for lace or geometric shapes. I let it dry again and carved out the animals or plants. Then I let it dry completely and take it to the studio to be fired for the first time. Firings take two days and reach temperatures over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. After it has been bisque fired, the clay is very porous, hard, and brittle, like a garden pot. At that point I glaze the mug and it gets fired at the studio one more time. This time the kiln is even hotter, melting the chalky glaze powder into a hard, glassy coating. When the kiln cools to room temperature, the mug is finished and ready for use.