Christi Shaffer, Potter

 
It’s all about the texture and feel with the forming of clay objects. I use leaves, ferns, lace, cloth, clay stamps and natural items pressed into soft clay, or just glaze the pottery. Firing in an electric kiln, glazes and stains are chosen for varied smoothness, color and design. Using a combination of glazes, I mix my own from recipes. I do not use lead as an ingredient. Some of the orange/yellow designs on my pots come from local Whidbey clay (Double Bluff cliffs).

I started working with stoneware clay n the late 1960’s when I took classes from 3 Seattle area potters. I wanted hand-made pottery on my table, around me and for others. I make both “thrown” (on the wheel) and “slab” (hand built with a slab roller) functional or decorative pottery. My dinnerware can be used in the oven or microwave, and smaller items can be placed in the dishwasher carefully. Pottery is guaranteed to eventually break.