THE CREATION

Each piece starts with the selection of appropriate fine clay. The Netherlands crossed by rivers and lakes is well known for the vast clay grounds in riversides. After smashing parts of clay on the wheel to remove the airy spaces inside the lump of clay, the ceramist uses force to center the material on the spinning wheel. With small amounts of water the hands form the clay while the wheel is spinning, sometimes slow or faster. Once the clay is formed into an object, with a steel wire it is precisely cut from the wheel and gently placed on a shelf.

After a day, the clay is hard enough to attach the handmade ceramic flowers to it. It takes two weeks of drying at room temperature followed by a first biscuit burning in the oven for approximately nine hours. This burning ensures a structure for glazing.

For special artwork glazing and painting with a choice of tens of different colors takes sometimes in total three to four hours per piece of work and needs to be repeated three days in a row depending on the color. After drying, the pieces are installed a second time in the oven to ensure the right temperature for glaze decoration. It takes about six hours to reach a temperature of 1050 degrees Celsius and another day to cool down to room temperature. Now the artwork is ready for exhibition in the Atelier.