Sara plays with clay.
Welcome to my collection of ceramic art, where clay turns into female form. I am inspired by strength, beauty and the form of the female body. I craft these forms using various techniques. Each piece is a tribute to the female body, what it does, what it can do, its intelligence, resilience and grace. Thank you stopping by to check out my stuff.
———April 9, 2025 ———-
The Goddess vessels I love to create begin as a lump of clay. Hand shaped, coiled, carved, and formed with intention. After drying, they are bisque fired to prepare her for something more intense: the alchemy of wood firing.
This is where the magic begins.
I am a member a wonderful community and Studio, Stone Bear Studios. The Studio hosts Wood Fire Workshops a long with JL Pottery. Myself along with this community bring bisque fired vessels to JL Pottery’s atmospheric kiln to be loaded. As a community we wad each piece to prevent sticking. Then we load each vessel with intention to share the story of flame, ash and the process.
Every pot, every placement, every decision the group makes in collaboration. It’s tricky to fill the kiln with hundreds of pots and maintaining the objective of a good consistent firing. Once the kiln is buttoned up, the fire starts-and it doesn’t stop (range is 3-4days of firing). For days (and nights) we stoke the kiln, take shifts, feed the fire. Wood after wood, hour after hour, we chase heat, aiming for a perfect temperature and duration where transformation happens. I can’t emphasize this enough, we watch the kiln, the heat every moment, from when it was lit until the kiln is sealed. Every element of this process is intentional. How much do we stoke? How long between stoking? Was that enough fuel? What is the temperature? Did the flame move? Is the cone still up? What time is it?
Then kiln is sealed, the heat held, and the oxygen pulled back: reduction begins. I pray for safe passage, no cracks, mild (if any) warping and organic finishes of greys, golds, browns and greens.
After cooling (5 to 6days) we unload the kiln. The kiln still warm. We form a line and pass each piece, hand to hand, it’s like a treasure hunt, each piece shares the story of the fire and the path of the flame.
This process is labor. It’s devotion. It’s community. It’s alchemy.
AND
It’s underrated – I like to revere it as the sleeper finish. It isn’t flashy. It doesn’t demand attention. But if you know, you know. It holds the quiet power of something earned through endurance, transformation and fire.
My heart holds gratitude to every person involved, but I want to give a special thanks to Matt Crawley for creating a beautiful, Justin Lambert, Gram Singer, Jason Humphrey and Katelyn Odenheimer.
Sara plays with clay 