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MAKING CERAMICS
It takes an extraordinary 14 step process to create a single piece of Maiolica. From the time the fine Italian clay is prepared for turning, it will go into the kiln two different times to be fired; once before it is hand-painted, and once after it is hand-painted. Each firing takes 18 hours to cure the Maiolica as the kiln must reach a temperature of 2000° Fahrenheit and then cool to room temperature without cracking or destroying the Maiolica.
In order to be a true Italian ceramic, everything must be produced in the locale that the ceramic is actually made. This includes everything from the clay, the kiln that it is baked in, the artists and the paints that are used to create the ceramic.
Step 1: Different types of clay, combined with natural ingredients such as sodium, potassium and feldspar, are necessary first steps to obtain specific earthenware products like ceramics, Maiolica or porcelain. In ancient times, only China and Persia were able to create porcelain. Porcelain objects were highly appreciated for their qualities like impermeability and hard finish, but the necessary ingredient, kaolin, was a jealously kept secret. Regular clay ceramics needed glazing in order to hold liquids. An ancient rough glazing called Ingobbio was available, but it is only in the 6th century A.D. that Arabs found that certain mineral oxides, once dissolved in water, could be absorbed on the porous surface of fired clay. The biscuit can then be decorated, and once fired a second time, we obtain an object called Maiolica, white glazed, often painted over with beautiful decorations and most importantly, possessing a hard, smooth surface having qualities similar to porcelain.
Step 2: The clay is thrown and hand made into an actual piece. There is no vendor that we deal with that does not make their own actual piece. They are all hand done and hand molded on the pottery wheel.
Step 3: The piece is then air-dried under the supervision of the master potter.
Step 4: A master potter then hand finishes the pieces that are partially dried, making sure that they are smooth on the bottom and the edges, et cetera. This is also the time the master potter adds handles to pieces.
Step 5: After the pieces have completely air-dried, which can take anywhere from 3 to 14 days, each piece is then sprayed with a protective glazing agent.
Step 6: The master kiln expert then builds the kiln units for the specific pieces that are going into the kiln. This is extremely important because if the racks are not made correctly, then the entire batch is lost. At no time can any individual piece touch another piece. If you also turn over any piece of ceramic that we have, you will see that a rim of terra cotta is visible. The master kiln expert ensures that each piece has a visible rim; otherwise the ceramic would stick to the kiln. The building of the racks can only be done by the master kiln expert!
Step 7: The master kiln expert then places the racks - which in some cases can be ten shelves high - into the kiln. The baking process takes 18 hours. It takes approximately six hours to reach 2000° Fahrenheit; the ceramic bakes for six hours at 2000° and then cools another six hours. This process varies slightly depending upon the size of the piece of ceramic.
Step 8: Once out of the ovens, the master potter makes sure the pieces are correctly cured in the first kiln process. If the master potter decides a piece is not correct, it is then the master potter's decision to eliminate the piece.
Step 9: The master potter then applies another glazing spray which takes about 24-48 hours to dry. The piece is finally ready to be given to the artist. There is a master artist that oversees all of the artists and all of the pieces being painted. Even if a piece is painted in an artist's home, the master painter must still approve the piece. It is the owner of the business and the master artist that selects all colors and shades to be used for particular patterns. Ceramic paints are very difficult to select, because the actual paint is a completely different color than the permanent color after it is fired.
Step 10: The artist will outline the design they are going to paint with a 'black chalk ball' (essentially loose chalk in a small bag). If mistakes are made at this point, it can be erased and changed.
Step 11: The actual painting begins. It may take anywhere from one to four different artists to complete a single piece, depending on the pattern and the complexity of the design. In each factory, there are specialists to paint flowers, fruits, geometrics, shading and the master who paints everything and anything. For painted rims, there is a rim painting specialist, the piece is placed on a painting wheels and the rim painting specialist applies the rim. It may take several days to complete one piece, depending on the complexity of the pattern. Drying time is required between colors, particularly when there are background colors. At this point if a mistake is made, the piece is destroyed, there is no fixing it!
Step 12: After the piece has been painted and air-dried, the master potter then places the final glazing spray on the piece. These pieces then must dry to room temperature.
Step 13: While the pieces are drying, a new kiln unit is being constructed to accept the new pieces that have just been painted and had their final glazing spray applied.
Step 14: The painted and final glazed pieces are placed on the kiln unit and placed in the kiln for the final firing of 18 hours. Approximately the same process and temperatures as outlined above take place.
They now have a finished product!
Step 15: The items are packaged for shipping; this in itself can take as many as four different processes, depending on the pieces being shipped.
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