What is Pottery?

Pottery is the art and science of making objects out of clay and hardening them with heat. These objects are usually useful items, such as pots or jars for storage or plates or bowls for eating from.

There are three main categories of pottery: earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. Each type has a different range of properties and techniques.

The body of a pot is formed by one of several methods: thrown on a wheel, molded by hand without mechanical aids or made with liquid clay (called slip) using molds or other industrial tools. After the pot is shaped it must dry out in the air before being fired or heated in a kiln.

Additives can be worked into the clay body before it is shaped to produce desired effects in the finished wares, such as texture and a decreased amount of shrinkage as the pot dries. Contrasting colored clays and grog (fired clay which has been finely ground) are often used to produce patterns in the finished wares.

Glaze is a glassy coating applied to the surface of pottery vessels that helps protect them and enhance their appearance. It may be applied by dusting it over the clay, spraying, dipping or trailing a thin slurry composed of glaze minerals and water. Brushing is not a good technique for glazing because it tends to result in an uneven covering.

Fired wares can be protected from the smoke and soot which can be produced by coal or wood-fired kilns by placing them in saggars, ceramic boxes. Modern kilns fuelled by gas or electricity are cleaner and more easily controlled than older wood- or coal-fired kilns and allow shorter firing times to be used.