A Day in the Studio

A making day usually starts with coffee. Strong coffee, in a big mug, while I check my emails, answer customer messages and work through any admin. I work from a small studio space — a dedicated corner of my home — entirely taken over by tools, clay, sandpaper and drying pieces.

I open a fresh packet of metal clay and start working quickly — the clay can dry out if you leave it too long. I shape, texture, carve. I press leaves and ferns into the surface to capture their veining.

Then comes the drying and refining — the delicate work of sanding and smoothing the dry piece before it goes into the kiln. My Prometheus Pro-7 kiln reaches over 900°C. The pieces go in, the door closes, and about 3 hours later I have solid metal. Every time the kiln opens it feels like magic. But the work doesn't stop there — polishing, antiquing, sealing, photographing, packaging — but that is a story for another day.