Natalie Pappas

As I have explored pottery forms, I discovered quite by accident that I could take some of the leftover clay, form a ceramic bead, and glaze it. This to me is as satisfying as making pots, vases, bowls, or mugs. The stoneware and porcelain beads are a wonderful way to experiment with color, form, and texture in miniature.

Along with the pottery and ceramic beads, I have also become interested in making clay whistles.

The past year I have enjoyed discovering how to make tiny clay whistles which I've turned into focal beads. These whimsical and functional whistling art beads are a joy to create.

The entire pottery process is fascinating. Many steps go into making a pottery, bead, or whistle. The clay starts out as greenware, i.e., clay that has been shaped into a bowl or a vase or whatever. However, it is has not been fired in a kiln. If it were to sit out in the rain, it would dissolve.

Bisque is clay that has been fired at a low temperature. It is porous. It is not mature (vitrified -- turned into glass). We bisque our ware in order to shrink it a bit so that when we apply glaze and fire, the glaze 'fits' the piece. It the piece were fired too quickly too maturity, the glaze might craze, crack a bit, and generally not be a desirable piece. HOWEVER ... sometimes we fire from greenware to maturity, but it is a S L O W firing and takes a long time. More and more potters are beginning to fire 'once' to maturity, which means glazing a piece while it is still greenware. This helps to conserve electricity yet still makes for a safe functional piece of pottery. If it is done properly, the glaze 'fits' the piece.

Raku pottery is a piece of pottery that has been glazed and fired. It is not always 'mature', i.e., vitrified. Raku is not vitrified, this means it will not hold water or be food safe. But it sure will be a beautiful piece sitting on a your favorite shelf! A vitrified piece of pottery has a property of glass, meaning that if it is chipped it can still be used because the clay itself is solid like glass and not porous.

My favorite clay? Porcelain? Yes! I love the way it feels, the way it fires. It's marvelous! Stoneware? Yes! It is incredibly pliable yet amazingly tough. Glazes perform on stoneware in a way that is unique to that specific clay body in that particular kiln, electric or gas. Earthenware? Yes! It's just yummy. It's fun to work with. And I love the rich dark colors of these types of clay. Paperclay? Yes! It can do things that regular clay cannot do. It continues to amaze me. I haven't decided upon a favorite clay body yet. I have given myself permission not to play favorites.

Take this demonstration link to learn how I create hand crafted beads and pendants from porcelain, stoneware, and earthenware clay. My goal as a bead artist is that my handmade beads remain unique and that I continue to learn and grow in every aspect of learning pottery.

Please visit my blog to see what I'm currently doing. I have uploaded quite a few photos to Flickr over the years and the link to You Tube will showcase some of my work with music as well as a short Ceramic Bead Making video.

If you are interesting in purchasing any of my work, on the top left hand side of this page are two links to choose from: Artist Beads and Pottery. Thanks so much for taking the time to read about me, my pottery, and my clay beads. Oh, one last thing ... check out my links page for many potters, bead makers, and pottery related organizations.

-- Natalie Pappas