Franco at work

We work in stoneware, shaping the pots entirely by hand: Franco turns his pots on the wheel and Esther works with slabs and in the round for the animals. Franco decorates the surface of the pieces creating an interplay of different textures to produce highly original effects that are not only decorative but also enhance the shapes.

After natural drying, the pieces undergo a first firing (biscuit firing) at 980°C.  Once out of the kiln, they are glazed and decorated with Franco’s own glazes, formulated after some 700 tests over more than 30 years of research. The glazes are made of silicates that are stable and hence non-toxic.

After about 11 hours, the second firing reaches a temperature of 1300°C (cone 9-10), the last stage in a reducing atmosphere (with limited oxygen) so that the glazes fuse to produce unique effects. We have two propane gas-fired kilns designed and built by Franco, the first in 1991 and the second, smaller one in 2006. The workshop has a very low environmental impact because we recycle all our waste products.