Garden Ceramics - Techniques

These products are entirely handmade and the stages of making one of the water features can be seen in this section. The clay used is a specially formulated "crank" mixture and starting from the outside of the base the whole feature is made in one piece using the ancient technique of coiling. The modelled additions being created as the making progresses and the clay firms up. Making one of the larger pieces is spread over 3 to 4 days. Large ceramic pieces such as these need to be dried slowly and carefully in a controlled manner and this can take up to two weeks.

After "biscuit" firing at 1000c they are decorated with metal oxides, stoneware glazes and glass, and fired again to about 1225c which vitrifies the clay and renders it fully frost proof. After this the pumps are fitted to the water features and the pipe to the fountain, and the whole feature is assembled and tested.

The bird baths and water features are made by the coiling method starting at the outside of the base

The coils are joined on the inside whilst being placed and afterwards the outside is smoothed

The finishing touches...