Clay Works

Carla has been working in earthenware professionally since 1975. She began her career while living in the south by learning techniques of cast earthenware, working with low fire clays, and earthenware painting techniques. Since 1981, Carla has been using the potter's wheel with both high and low fire clays. Here she uses the technique of Raku glazing and firing as shown in the examples below.

The history of pottery is believed to have begun in the period 29,000 to 25,000 BC, when the earliest known objects were created, including the Venus or Grimaldi figurines. There is evidence of pottery being made in the Middle East during the Neolithic Revolution around 10,000 years ago, when humans started learning to domesticate plants and animals. The next major innovation, the pottery wheel, emerged around 3000 B.C. in Mesopotamia. Water Lily Raku Vase
Water Lily Raku Vase
Apple Blossom Raku Vase
Apple Blossom Raku Vase
Miltoniopsis Orchid Blooms in Raku
Miltoniopsis Orchid Blooms in Raku

In the seventh to ninth century A.D., China developed the first of its recognizable styles of pottery during the T'ang Dynasty. The firing technique of "Raku" traces its rich history to a process that originated in Kyoto, Japan in the 16th century. That technique involved removing red-hot, carved, clay pieces from a wood-fired kiln and placing them on the ground to cool. The Raku technique that Carla currently uses, to get the iridescent colors, is the Raku method of oxygen reduction.

Carved Candle Lights
Carved Candle Lights
Sunflower Serving Dishes 
Sunflower Serving Dishes
Morning Glory Stein
Morning Glory Stein