Julia Davey
Julia Davey currently works from a small studio in Bath, Somerset
next to the Kennet and Avon canal.
She is a qualified ceramicist and started her business in April 2009
as a part-time activity making items for her own pleasure whilst completing
the final stages of a teaching training course. During her work as
a BTEC Fine Art Course Leader at Cirencester College that year, she
gradually developed the range of shapes and patterns. With continued
demand and expansion of stockists and online outlets, ‘Julia Davey
Ceramics’ became her full-time occupation in July 2010. 
Julia makes small batches of earthenware ceramic items inspired by
personal events, places and objects - 'one day it’s flamingos at
the zoo and the next a bee trapped in my garden shed'.
Making Process
"Moulds are filled with white earthenware liquid clay
called ‘slip’. After 30 minutes the moulds are poured so excess clay
is drained from them.
The item is then removed from the plaster and after it has had time
to dry the mould lines are fettled (trimmed) and sponged, ready for
firing to 1120 degrees centigrade. Next the item has a hand painted
coloured slip applied which is then scratched into with lines.
This
is called ‘scraffito’. The piece is low fired to 400 degrees centigrade
to remove ingredients in the slip such as gum Arabic which would resist
the glaze. Glaze is applied and the piece is fired again, this time
to a much higher temperature of 1040 degrees centigrade.
Now comes the fun part. I individually place my transfer designs on
each piece which is then fired to around 900 degrees centigrade In
the final stage I hand paint the piece with tiny dots and lines of
silver and gold lustre. This rather nasty liquid looks black to the
eye but once fired to just over 700 degrees centigrade it becomes
shiny and bright.
After a total of five firings the item is complete. Each piece gets
a final check for defects, and any rough edges are filed with a special
block which acts like sandpaper."
