Care and Handling

I find real beauty in the wabi-sabi aesthetic. It is to embrace the imperfect, impermanent and incomplete. For this reason you find deliberately weathered looking, worn, textured surfaces often in my works. Silky matte glazes and engobes are my favourites to work with.

Matte surfaces are porous by nature and will absorb colours from some acidic foods if they are used to store the food for days and will have cutlery marks of their use over time. 

The glaze is stronger than the soft metal so their marks do not go into the glaze rather it marks the top. Cutlery marks can be scrubbed off or lightened with water and baking soda or magic eraser or with a powder detergent with the active ingredient oxalic acid. Never use a metal sponge. 

All my ceramics are made from high fired stoneware clay. Although high fired stoneware is dishwasher safe, hand washing with warm soapy water and nylon scrub brush is recommended. Citrus based cleaners including some dishwasher detergents can dull the surfaces. 

If this happens, follow the next steps:

Add a thin coat of food oil to a clean but warm plate or bowl. One teaspoon wiped across the entire cooking surface is just enough. Let it sit for a while and then wipe off with a paper towel. Rinse with warm water and dry thoroughly. 

Handling ceramics requires care and common sense.

• Do not drop ceramics on the floor. They will break.
• Do not heat or cool them rapidly and do not use them in the oven and microwave. 
• Avoid heavy handling. Stack them carefully. Use two layers of a single paper towel between ceramics when stacking. Rims, handles and spouts are the most delicate parts!