I have been making pots for over 30 years, working as a member of a pottery cooperative and attending and teaching ceramics courses. I am a Selected Member and Secretary of the Anglian Potters. I have been part of Cambridge Open Studios since 1996.
Stoneware pottery is exceedingly durable. It can safely be used in the oven, dishwasher or microwave. It is fired at a temperature of 1260 degrees or more, which is only a little below the temperature of porcelain. At this heat the clay is vitrified and the glaze merges with the clay body, so that that pots are non-porous even when unglazed. The high firing temperature results in a muted colour range but a much enhanced subtlety and depth.
Porcelain is noted for its translucency. Otherwise there is not much difference between it and the smooth white high-fired stoneware clay that I normally use. But porcelain clay is more expensive than stoneware, is more difficult to throw, and there are greater problems with firing.
Learn the Art of Throwing: four intensive one-to-one lessons, introducing you to how to use the potter's wheel, how to turn your pots and also glaze them. Please contact me for further information.
Susan Cupitt
Tel: 01223 311937
Email: susan.cupitt at
gmail.com