Fire & Clay

Tucked deep into the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains lives a North Carolina pottery tradition of apprenticeship, kiln firings, and wood ash.

When seminal potter Matt Jones agreed to mentor a young Alex Matisse, East Fork’s early visual style was born in the cavernous, womb-like space of a wood-fired kiln.

To create an ash glaze, all a potter needs are two basic ingredients: ashes from the fire and clay dug from the ground. Regionally specific, our version of Ash Glaze is a lush, mottled green, historically-informed in a tradition of craft, and rooted in the land we call home.

The firing process leads to slight variations in color and pattern, making each piece unique.

A medium sized ceramic mug with handle in a light butter yellow color featuring iron speckles and unglazed rim and bottom base
A medium sized ceramic mug with handle in a light butter yellow color featuring iron speckles and unglazed rim and bottom base, filled with light coffee.

in Butter

A small sized ceramic mug with handle in a light butter yellow glaze featuring iron speckles and unglazed rim and bottom base
A small sized ceramic mug with handle in a light butter yellow glaze featuring iron speckles and unglazed rim and bottom base, filled with coffee.
A big sized ceramic mug with handle in a light butter yellow glaze featuring iron speckles and unglazed rim and bottom base
A big sized ceramic mug with handle in a light butter yellow glaze featuring iron speckles and unglazed rim and bottom base, with 2 pink candy peeps inside

in Butter

East Fork Workshop

The East Fork Workshop, formerly known as the Small Batch Studio, is where we continue to practice wheel-thrown pottery and play with new forms that might one day end up in our line. Our latest form, the Farm Bowl, resembles a pancheon, typically used to hold fresh milk while your cream separates.

Ash Glaze is a limited release. Variations in color and patterning make your vessel unique and are there to be loved.

When firing a wood kiln, the ash from stoking the wood will leave mottled green, brown, and purple runs on the ceramic surfaces of the pots.

But wood ash as a glazing material isn’t limited to use in a wood kiln. The ash can be used in glaze recipes for all sorts of firings, leading to the development of the Ash Glaze you see here.

“I was really excited when Alex approached me with a request for ash glaze samples, as it required me to work with elemental, basic ingredients dredged directly from local fields such as wood stoves."


- Sarah Melosh, East Fork Glaze Developer

My cart

Cart empty

Nothing added yet.