our work ethos
Objects that hold their own.
The work is shaped in small batches, allowing room for irregularity and response. A thumbprint at the handle, the shift of a glaze, the weight at the base: these are the details that make a piece feel alive.
We make tableware and vessels intended to be picked up often, lived with closely, and kept for a long time.
The People Behind the Clay
Two hands, one shared practice.
Jaiya Alamia
Jaiya throws stoneware in Bernal Heights. She's drawn to pieces that earn a spot in the daily routine: the mug you reach for first, the bowl that never makes it back to the cupboard. You can follow what's coming off her wheel on Instagram at @glazedmudmaker.
Julie Lemieux
Julie throws stoneware in Bernal Heights, mostly in Rod's Bod and Sonora White. She has a soft spot for beer steins. Every handle she pulls carries a bear paw pressed into the thumb rest, which is why her sister calls them Bear Steins. By day, she leads design teams.
Materials
The clay beneath the glaze.
Rod's Bod
A lot of our work starts with Rod's Bod. It's a high-fire stoneware that goes into the kiln a plain gray with a bit of grit to it, like fine sand. In the firing it warms to a toasty brown, and the iron in the clay surfaces through the glaze as small brown speckles. No two pieces fleck the same way. The clay fires dense and sturdy, which makes it a good fit for mugs and bowls you'll use every day.
Cone 10 reduction
Sonora White
Sonora White is the smooth one. Where Rod's Bod has grit and speckle, this clay is fine and even under the hands. It fires to a soft gray-white, so glazes sit on a light, clean background rather than a brown, flecked one. It comes out of the kiln dense and sturdy, which is why we reach for it for mugs and bowls meant to be used every day.
Cone 10 reduction
BT Rose
BT Rose comes from East Bay Clay, a small clay maker just across the bay in Richmond. It's a high-fire stoneware that comes out of the kiln a rich chocolate brown, darker and earthier than anything else on our shelf. Some of our work starts closer to home than others, and this clay is one of them.
Cone 10 reduction
B-Mix
B-Mix is a favorite of potters across the country, and it's easy to see why. It's smooth as porcelain under the hands but forgiving on the wheel. It goes into the kiln a creamy white and comes out a soft gray-white, so glazes sit on a light, even surface. It fires dense and sturdy, which makes it a good fit for pieces you'll use every day.
Cone 10 reduction
CA-2
CA-2 is a blend of California and Missouri clays, part of it from right here in our home state. It's soft and easy to shape, with a fine grit that gives it some backbone on the wheel. It starts out orange when wet and fires to a warm orange-brown. It comes out of the kiln dense and sturdy, ready for pieces that see daily use.
Cone 10 reduction
Long Beach
Long Beach is an old favorite among potters, and it earns that reputation on the wheel. It has enough texture to hold its shape and stays smooth enough to throw with ease. It fires to a warm brown, the kind of color that makes a mug feel lived-in from day one. Like the rest of our clays, it comes out of the kiln dense and sturdy, ready for everyday use.
Cone 10 reduction