Drakelaw Pottery
At Drakelaw Pottery Liz Steele makes a range of functional and decorative stoneware pottery from mugs, jugs, bowls and soap dishes to ovenproof dishes and Ramen bowls. All pieces are oven, microwave, air fryer, dishwasher and freezer proof and good enough to use every day.
Behind the Scenes
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About My Practice
I have been making pots for 40 years, always working in stoneware, always making functional pottery. All my pieces are wheel thrown, decorated with impressed designs and coloured slips. Working with stoneware clay and firing my glaze to 126o degrees centigrade, my pots can be used in the oven, microwave, air fryer, dishwasher and freezer.
My passion to use hand made pottery to serve delicious home made food and drink.
Tools & Materials
All my pots are made on an electric wheel using Potclays Special White Stoneware. All pieces except my mugs have a turned foot on the bottom, made using thin metal turning tools to take away excess clay. When the pieces have dried slightly I use hand carved small wooden printing blocks to make patterns on pots with rims. When the pieces are dry I decorate with coloured slips using cobalt or copper oxides to give a blue or green colouring.
I mix my own glaze which contains rutile oxide, giving pink and pale gold crystals in the glaze. I fire to 1260 degrees centigrade which means the clay is completely vitrified and so doesn't absorb any moisture. This then allows the pieces to be oven, microwave, air fryer, dishwasher and freezer proof making them great for everyday use.
Examples of work
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Spring Fling Activity
I will have samples of each making process from wet clay to the finished piece and will explain each process







