Stoneware

In addition to creating Raku pots used in Japanese Tea Ceremony and for decorative objects in the home, I also create utilitarian pottery using stoneware. All of these stoneware pieces are food-safe, microwavable, and dishwasher safe. There is no lead used in the glazes, nor do I use some other common, but potentially harmful chemicals like chrome, nickel, or barium.

In addition, the stoneware clay body that I use vitrifies at a lower temperature than other stoneware clays. This results in having to use fewer natural resources in the firing of these pieces. These pieces are fired in an electric kiln using wind energy.

What we have done is calculate the amount of energy that we use each month to fire our electric kiln and power the studio (500kw-hours) and purchased enough wind energy to cover our energy consumption through a program called Windsource. The EPA states that buying just one 100kw block of Windsource for a year has the same environmental benefits as not driving a car 2,400 miles or planting a half-acre of trees!

Like my Raku pieces, my stoneware pots make reference to the rugged beauty found in the natural world, whether it is the majestic beauty found on a rocky cliff on the North Shore of Lake Superior, or the simple unassuming beauty found in a pebble at its feet.