What We Do | Reese Lansangan

How to read a listing

Every piece on this page carries the same set of notes, and they mean something specific. Clay body tells you what the piece is made from before glaze ever touches it. Glaze family names the recipe group, not a single color, so two mugs from the same family can still look different. Dimensions are measured by hand on the finished piece, not on the wet form, and they can shift by a quarter inch in either direction. Food-safe finish means the interior glaze has been tested for daily use with food and drink. Firing type records whether the piece went through an electric or gas kiln and to which cone.

Small batch, not a fixed size

A run is whatever came out of one kiln load. Some runs hold twelve mugs, others hold six bowls. When a listing says a run sold out, it means that specific firing is gone and the next one has not been unloaded yet. Restocks happen on irregular cycles because glazing and firing depend on drying time and kiln space, not on a schedule.

What counts as a second

Seconds are pieces with a cosmetic flaw: a glaze run that pooled past the foot, a slight lean in the rim, or a kiln kiss where two pieces touched during firing. None of these affect how the piece holds water, food, or heat. Each second is photographed so the flaw is visible before you decide.

Color and surface vary by firing

Glaze reacts to where a piece sits in the kiln. A bowl near the front may show heavier speckling than one at the back, even from the same bucket of glaze. Photos are taken in daylight without filters, but screens differ. Treat the listing image as a close guide, not an exact match.

Care and everyday use

Most stoneware here is dishwasher-safe, though hand washing keeps a satin glaze looking the way it did on the shelf. Avoid sudden temperature changes, such as moving a cold bowl straight into a hot oven. Planters ship with a single drainage hole unless the listing says otherwise.

What we do

The methods behind every piece on the shelf

Nothing here is cast from a mold or pulled off a production line. Each mug, bowl, plate, and planter moves through the same set of hands-on steps, and those steps are what shape the clay body, the glaze surface, and the small irregularities you see up close.

Wheel throwing

Mugs and bowls are centered and pulled on the wheel, then trimmed at the foot while the clay is still soft enough to hold a thumb mark. Walls stay slightly uneven on purpose.

Slab building

Serving plates and planters start as rolled slabs, joined with slip and smoothed at the seams. The rim keeps a gentle hand-formed curve instead of a machined edge.

Glaze mixing and dipping

Glazes are weighed and mixed in the studio, then applied by dipping or pouring. That is where the pooling and iron speckling come from, and why two pieces never match exactly.

Bisque and glaze firing

Pieces dry slowly, go through a bisque firing, then a cone 6 glaze firing. Kiln openings decide the run: some sell out fast, others move to the seconds shelf.

Documented listings

Every piece records clay body, glaze family, approximate dimensions, food-safe finish, and firing type, so you know what arrives before it leaves the studio shelf.

Small runs, packed by hand

Pieces are made in limited counts and restocked on irregular cycles. Each order is wrapped and boxed in the studio, with the flaws on seconds noted in the listing photos.

Curious how a specific piece was made? See the Morning Cup in Oat Speckle, or get in touch about a custom order.

Studio process

From a request on the shelf to a piece in your hands

Every order follows the same path through the studio, whether it starts with a mug from the current firing or a question about a custom dinnerware run. Here is how a piece moves from clay to packed box.

Step 1

You pick a piece or send a note

Browse the current firing and choose a listing, or write in about a custom dinnerware set, a wholesale run, or a piece you saw sell out. Tell us the function you need and any size or glaze preferences.

Step 2

We check the shelf and the schedule

If the piece is in stock, it is set aside with your name on it. If it needs to be made, we schedule it for the next throwing cycle and confirm the clay body, glaze family, and firing type before anything starts.

Step 3

Thrown, slab-built, or trimmed

Mugs and bowls go on the wheel, then get trimmed at the foot. Serving plates and planters are built from rolled slabs, joined with slip, and smoothed at the seams. Everything dries slowly before the first firing.

Step 4

Glaze mixed and applied by hand

Glazes are weighed and mixed in the studio, then applied by dipping or pouring. That is where the pooling, speckling, and thumb marks come from. Surfaces meant for food get a fully food-safe finish.

Step 5

Kiln opening and sorting

After the glaze firing, we open the kiln and sort the run. Pieces that meet the standard go to the catalog. Ones with a glaze run, a slight warp, or a kiln kiss move to the seconds shelf with the flaw noted in the listing.

Step 6

Packed and shipped from the studio

Each piece is wrapped and boxed for careful shipping, with the clay body, glaze family, approximate dimensions, and firing type confirmed on the packing note. Restocks happen in irregular cycles, so check back after the next kiln opening.

Want to see how a finished run looks before you order? Start with the Morning Cup in Oat Speckle, or reach the studio directly through the contact page for custom and wholesale questions.