FAQS

Can I use your pottery? Yes! Summer Hollow Pottery is made to be used and enjoyed every day.

Is Summer Hollow Pottery made by hand? Yes! All our pottery is made by hand on the potter’s wheel. We do not use molds to create our pottery.

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How long does it take to make? The process of creating a piece of pottery occurs in stages which requires weeks to complete. But if you take one piece of pottery, such as a bowl, and add the time it takes to complete each stage you will find that it takes an average of 1 hour to complete a pot. Some items such as teapots, casseroles, etc., take more time. While other items such as mugs, spoon rests, etc., take less time. Our specialty items such as oval serving dishes, and squared lidded casseroles take up to six hours to complete.

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How is it made? Pottery is made in stages. First the clay has to be prepared. Soft clay has to be wedged. Wedging is done by kneading the clay to make the clay homogeneous, workable and to remove air bubbles.

Next the wedged lump of clay is placed on the center of the wheel. With wet hands the clay is ‘centered’, while the wheel is spinning. To center the clay pressure is placed on the top and sides of the clay. This pressure coaxes the clay in to a uniform mass.

Then the potter pushes their thumbs into the center to ‘open’ the clay. At this point the clay looks like a donut. Next the sides have to be made. By working with one hand on the inside, and one on the outside the potter uses their fingers to draw the clay up into a cylinder. Then the potter starts to shape the pot. Once the shape is complete, the freshly thrown pot must be removed from the wheel and set aside until the clay has ‘set up’. It takes about 24 hours, depending on the humidity for the clay to set up.

At this point it is ‘leather hard’, which means that the clay is firm enough to be picked up without distortion. Then it is ready to be ‘trimmed’. Trimming is done by putting the pot back on the potter’s wheel upside down. Then by using trimming tools, excess clay is removed from the bottom of the pot. This is done to refine the shape and finish the bottom of the pot. And if a handle is needed it must be added while the pot is still ‘leather hard.

Then the pot is placed on a shelf to dry. It cannot be placed in a kiln until it is completely dried. When the clay had dried it is called
‘greenware’, and it is then ready to be ‘bisqued’. Pottery is ‘bisqued’ when it is put into a ‘kiln’ and fired to 1400 F. This firing prepares the pot to be glazed. The heat of the ‘kiln’ ‘sinters’ the clay particles. This changes the very nature of the clay. Before if is fired or ‘bisqued’ the clay is like mud. If water is added, the dried clay will return to its wet mud like state. But once it is ‘bisqued’, the clay is more like rock. It can never return to the mud like substance it was before it was fired.

Once the pot has been bisqued it is ready to be glazed. Glaze is a layer of glass that is fused onto the pottery's surface. The glaze is decorative, while providing a hygienic covering on the pot. Glaze is applied onto the pottery by brushing, dipping, or pouring the liquid glaze onto the piece of pottery. Then the pottery is put back into the kiln for it's second firing, when the glaze, which is composed of glass forming materials, fluxes, and stabilizers, fuse together to form the finished pottery.

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How do you get the color?

The color is actually on top of the glaze. Our pottery is glazed using a technique called Majolica which originated in the Mediterranean sometime before the 8^th century. Majolica is a white opaque glaze that has color decoration added on top of the glaze. It is then fired to 1832 F. A typical majolica pot is boldly decorated using bright colors. The colors are used in a painterly fashion. Instead of using a paintbrush to apply the color, I use a spray gun, which enables me to utilize the sprayed color to highlight the shape of my pottery.

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What do you mean by 2T and FG? 2T and FG refer to the style that I glaze for my pottery. 2T means 'two tone'. When I glaze my pottery using two tone, I glaze the top portion in a brighter color (blue, green, tan), and the lower portion is then glazed in clear. The clear glaze reveals the natural 'terracotta' color of the clay. 2T gives a more natural finish to the pottery. FT means "fully glazed'. The pottery is totally glazed in the color you specify. FG color choices are: blue, green, tan, oyster shell, cranberry, and purple. Back to questions

How do I place an order?

You may place an order by phone, mail, or e-mail. Whichever option you choose you will need the following information: item name, number, your color choice, and the glaze style if applicable. Check out Ordering options for further instructions.

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Do you wholesale?

We wholesale to qualified buyers. Contact Summer Hollow Pottery

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