Mud Man Pots

Earthenware

Earthenware is clay that is more porous than stoneware and is fired to a lower temperature. Earthenware is often glazed although I use the clay for pots that are smoke fired. The glazes used on earthenware are often bright colors because the relatively lower temperatures are conducive to retaining the color. Earthenware clay is often red/pink and is the clay body we commonly associate with pots coming from the Southwest and Mexico.

Smoke firing is a "primitive" method of decorating pots using the chemistry of reduction without glazes. Pots are burnished to a dull shine prior to being bisqued. Once bisqued, the pots are put in a pit or trash can and and surrounded by combustible material. I use sawdust, wood shavings and seaweed as my materials of choice. The top layer of material is ignited and then covered. A slow, smoky burn occurs over the next 8-16 hours. The smoke leaves a trail of carbon on the pot that is different every time. After the soot-covered pots are brushed off and given a thin layer of wax, the final surface gives off a red-black pattern that calls out to be touched.

Smoke-fired pots are not glazed and should not be used to eat from so they are more suitable for decoration. That said, smoke-fired pots were used from many centuries by African and Native American cultures for their daily pottery.

Other Earthenware examples (click to enlarge):