Our process, from clay to mantel.
A step-by-step labour of love from our hands to yours, one vessel at a time. Most commissions take four to six weeks — the kiln keeps its own time.
Each urn passes through six stages. None are rushed. We begin with a sketch, end with a glaze firing, and somewhere in between the clay becomes something worth holding for a lifetime.
Design & inspiration
Every vessel begins with a conversation, and a sketch. We talk about who is being remembered — their nature, their colors, the room where the urn will rest — then draw rough forms on the bench until something feels right.
From clay to form
Every piece begins as a humble lump of Alberta clay. On the wheel, raw material becomes form — wedged, centered, opened, and pulled into vessels ranging from palm-sized keepsakes to full-size memorial urns.
Sculpting by hand
Once the form holds its shape, we sculpt and add detail by hand — pine boughs, mountain ridges, birds, vines, or whatever has been chosen for the piece. Each addition is worked into the clay so it becomes part of the vessel itself, not something added on after.
Slow drying & bisque firing
Thrown and sculpted pieces must dry slowly — several days to a week, depending on the weight of the applied sculpture. Once bone-dry, the greenware goes into the kiln and is fired to nearly 2000°F for twelve hours.
Glazing in the lab
Glazing begins in the lab, where every glaze is custom-mixed from raw minerals and oxides — colors drawn from the boreal forest, the river stones, the autumn larch, and the first snow. The base coat is poured; the sculptural details are finished with fine brushwork.
The final firing
Glazed pieces are carefully stilted and loaded into the glaze kiln, fired again to just under 2000°F. The next morning, when the kiln is cool enough to open, the chalky raw glaze has transformed — vibrant, vitrified, and ready for the mantel.
