About My Work - Daylene's Pottery

I dug clay from the ground with my own hands, cleaned it, shaped it, and fired it. I glazed the pieces using those same clays and other local materials, giving shape to heritage and family. The result is unique items with a unique history.

Freshly dug clay drying before processing

Unlike most potters who get their start taking classes at a local studio, I began by looking at my local clay and asking, “Can I make stuff from this?”

I started researching and reading everything I could find on using dug clays to produce pottery. I made a few small pinch pots and began searching for a wheel and kiln. It took a year to find a kiln and wheel I could afford. That was the easy part.

Since the nearest studio offering classes was over an hour away, I bought a book by Simon Leach, watched YouTube videos, joined a wonderful Facebook group called “Clay Buddies,” and practiced. I studied the Digitalfire.com website voraciously and began an extensive process of clay testing. Clays from different locations fire at different temperatures, and I had no idea what type of clay I had. I started firing test samples at cone 2 and increased the temperature with each firing. I fired progressively higher until I reached cone 8 (2300°F), the maximum temperature for my kiln. The clay was still too porous for functional ware. I needed a flux, so I added nepheline syenite (a naturally occurring igneous rock) to the clay body and started testing again. After many test firings, this finally resulted in a cone 6 stoneware, but the process continues. There is always room for improvement.

Why go to all this effort when store-bought clays and colorants are fairly cheap and easily obtained? It’s a connection to the land. This land has been home to five generations of my husband’s family. It’s a connection to God, the land, and family that feeds my soul and creative process.

I hope my work feeds your spirit as well. If you’d like to purchase items, please visit my Shop.