treadle wheel thrown
functional stoneware
dishwasher and microwave safe
safe in the oven if allowed to cool
About my firing: My pots are initially bisqued in an electric kiln powered by home solar. They are then glazed and fired in an insulated, downdraft hybrid kiln that uses wood and propane (following Joe Finch's design). During claybody reduction (^010-05), I introduce discarded tomato and pepper stakes to remove oxygen in the kiln. Removing oxygen from the iron oxide in the clay (Fe2O3 to FeO) allows the beautiful iron blue hues to emerge through my white nuka-type glaze (glazy.org). The rest of the firing is in oxidation up to 2200° (^7). I switched to ^7 instead of ^10 because when I had my soda kiln, I discovered that clay and glazes in cooler spots were fine. Kentucky Mudworks makes midrange clays that don't bloat at ^7-8. At the end of my firing, I slowcool, which re-oxidizes some of the iron and creates the Gohonde (firefly) spotting effect on a few pots. Sometimes I get lucky to participate in community woodfirings.
About my personal approach: Ever since being lucky enough to find pottery in high school in 1985, it has nourished me. Pottery centers and opens me up to some of the best things about being human. My infant son’s belly button was a spiral, and when he was three and we were on the train, he pointed out that there were spirals on everyone’s heads. I looked it up! While all mammals have whorls, humans are the only mammals to have whorls on their heads. I started honoring the spirals that the wheel creates.
The gentle, steady kicking on the treadle wheel steadies me to focus solely on centering as a form of meditation.
Pottery helps me contemplate and connect to our geological and historical past, the present moment, other people, and the universe.
Art perceived through the senses can provoke a personal feeling which can be difficult to describe. "What is essential is invisible to the eye" (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince). The parameter of function sparks my imagination because the pot's emptiness and potential for use add layers of possibility for magic to happen in the spaces between. Pottery is felt and experienced when life happens, in community and alone, and this experience can grow and change over time. A large serving bowl can showcase something delicious, enhancing a dinner party. A cradled mug can help a person find a necessary moment of pause.
Transforming the clay through the fire’s alchemic interaction between the claybody, glaze layers, time, temperature, and atmosphere (and the kiln dogs or gods, of course) captivates me. Fired pots manifest transformation and renewal. Fired clay is embodied energy forever marked by its spark in time that can last through the ages.
I find clouds endlessly inspiring. For the past few years, I have been using cloud and rain imagery as metaphor for the joy found inside of pain. I will continue pursuing that as long as it feels authentic.
It is my hope that my pots can enter into that sacred realm of personal connection and contemplation.
About buying my pots: I don't make pottery to make a living, but I do make pots to live. So my process is slow (I make "slow pots!"). Sometimes I do sell them, either on Etsy, via custom orders, or at local sales. Follow me on instagram if you'd like to know where I am setting up or email me lyla @ lylakaplanpottery dot com.
If you would like to host an exceptional experience of pottery paired with food or drink, I can curate that. See old examples here (this website can only be seen via computer, not mobile).
Ceramics Monthly - Down to Earth - LK, 2006.pdf
