A step-by-step labor of love from our hands to yours, one piece at a time

Design and Inspiration

New design ideas are always in development at Ephraim Pottery. Our artists draw inspiration from countless sources, collaborating to expand on new concepts. Through endless iterations of trial and error, we refine our craft with hours of practice and dedication.

From Clay to Form

Every piece begins as a humble lump of clay. Our skilled potters transform these raw materials into forms ranging from delicate holiday ornaments to vases as large as our kilns can accommodate.

Sculpting

Each Ephraim sculptor has a distinct style: one excels at sculpting designs with exactitude and symmetry, another has a flair for bold, flowing sculpture, and another is a master at structural, architectural creations.

Bisque Firing

The thrown and sculpted pieces must be slow-dried over the course of several days to a week depending on the heaviness of the applied sculpture. When the piece is bone dry, we load it into a kiln and fire it to nearly 2000 degrees for twelve hours.

Glazing

Glazing begins in the lab where we create all of our original custom glazes. Ephraim glazers pour the glaze over and into the primary bisqueware forms. The artists utilize delicate brushwork and an exacting eye for detail on the intricate sculptural or structural elements.

Glaze Firing

Once the glazers have applied the raw glaze, an artist loads the vases and tiles into a kiln, carefully stilting them to accommodate the flowing glaze that will drip off the feet of the vases. We fire the glaze kilns to cone 03, just under 2000 degrees.

The next day when the kilns are cool enough to open, the chalky glaze has been transformed into vibrant, vitrified hues. Some pieces will be glazed a second time to achieve a crackle and patina effect.