All fired up about Red Hot Pottery in San Luis Obispo

Posted: May 25, 2012 10:56 AM by Dan Shadwell, KSBY News
Updated: May 25, 2012 11:17 PM

We all have preferences... likes and dislikes; and sometimes that internal critic can keep us from trying something new--like art.

So to get you started, Red Hot Pottery in San Luis Obispo has a selection of pieces just waiting for you to provide the color: Ceramic cupcakes and ice cream cones, jars, cups, bowls and cheese plates, pitchers and steins, sock monkeys, even robots. They're stark white and without any pattern. They're all ready for your personal flair and color schemes.

Before I tried it myself, I asked the owner, Monica Detrick about standards. "Do you ever kick people out because they're really bad?"

She laughed. "No! That's how you learn!"

It's all up to you. You can choose any design you want--however conventional or outlandish and if you get stuck, there are tools to get you un-stuck. Stacks of stencils hang from hooks near several jars brimming with brushes. "So you hold them up to the piece you want to paint," Monica explains, "...and I always recommend tracing with a pencil, because pencil will burn off in the kiln; and then you trace it and pick your colors and start painting it."

I checked in with Karen Juran, a Red Hot regular. "I'm doing a checkerboard pattern around the bottom of this," she said, holding up a butter dish with an elaborate design along the perimeter, "...and I ruled out 1/4 inch squares all around the base and now I'm in the process of painting them in."

Once you're done, your pottery gets dipped in a green glaze before firing in a barrel-shaped kiln that resembles a hot tub.

Monica's husband and co-owner, Chris Detrick explains that the green color bakes off in 1800 degree heat, leaving a nice, shiny finish.

The transformation is remarkable. The beauty and variety of color patterns and designs on the finished pieces are fun to examine.

I asked Monica if she's ever tempted. "Do you ever look at some of the pieces and think... I really like that. I'm going to just say it got lost in the kiln?"

She laughs again. "It would be tempting , but no. that's when we take a picture of it and then we have idea books."

More ideas for next time. Red Hot Pottery is open every day but Wednesday. The price depends on the piece you choose to paint, but that price is all inclusive--paint, brushes, templates, sponges, the glazing and firing.

For more information, just check out the links section at our website at ksby.com.