Busy Bee With Special Wings
Welcome to my world of handmade ceramic bees!
Handmade ceramic bees are sure to bring sweetness and delight to your surroundings.
Each bee is lovingly handcrafted, ensuring its uniqueness.
These bees not only add a playful and whimsical element to your home or office but also serve as a gentle reminder of the importance of bees and their vital role in our ecosystem. Designed to be held and loved, each bee starts as a lump of clay which I shape and form by hand.
Wherever you choose to display them, these bees are sure to create a buzz of admiration.
The special stained glass wings are made by glass artist Pam Goodison who collaborated with me on this short run of extra special bees.
Size – Approx 6cm tall
Material – Stoneware clay, underglazes and glaze. Stamped underneath with my logo. Complete with stained glass wings and pipe cleaner antennae.
Free UK delivery – Please allow 5 working days. International delivery will take longer but is tracked. Cost of international shipping will be added at the checkout.
VAT – Price includes VAT at 20% in applicable countries.
How they’re made
Mud, glorious mud! well, professional-grade stoneware clay from the UK to be precise.
Out of the bag the clay needs, “wedging,” to remove any air trapped that can later cause problems during firing. Wedging is physical and theraputic!
Once the clay is prepared, I create two identical spheres before pinching each into a bowl shape.
The two bowls are then scored and joined before being left to dry a little.
Once the hollow sphere is a little firmer, I then create the bee shape, before adding the wings and eyes. I create a hole in the base so the air can escape (solid structures are more likely to blow up during firing as any moisture left tries to escape.)
I’ll then wait a little before refining the surface further.
Next is the bisque firing. Once I have enough pieces to fill the kiln I will set the kiln off on a progressive heating programme to reach 1060°C.
Once cooled (usually 24-48 hours later) I can then apply coloured underglazes – usually 2-3 layers hand painted on. They’re then left another 24 hours before having a clear glaze applied on top – again another 2-3 layers. It’s important to make sure there’s no glaze on the base of each piece or they will stick to the kiln shelf.
Then once they’re dry, it’s back into the kiln for the glaze firing. This time the temperature reaches 1245°C Again it can take a good 24-48 hours before the pieces are cool enough to handle. Then it’s quality check time, and if I’m happy with them, they get a stamp on their bottom, photographed and added to the website for their new owners to adopt them.
