Generally, yes! Our hand carved and slip-decorated ceramics are each one of a kind pieces of functional art, so hand-washing is recommended. but they can certainly go through the dishwasher if you take some extra care. Careful dishwasher loading where your KayHo item is stable and can’t be knocked or tapped repeatedly by other items ensures a safe experience. If your dishwasher has a gentle cycle, that’s a good idea as well. If your piece(s) are decorated with GOLD LUSTER - they should always be hand washed with a gentle cloth and dish detergent. If you have a “raccoon-style” dishwasher loader in your family (you'll know what we mean if you have/are one!), the dishwasher should be avoided for handmade pottery in general!

Yes, unless they have GOLD LUSTER decoration. Gold Luster is real gold, which is metal, and metal should NEVER go into the microwave.

A - Certainly! Ceramics are generally oven safe up to 450F, but there are some rules. Heat is not the issue, it’s thermal shock. In order to avoid thermal shock to your handmade items from KayHo Ceramics, take care the piece you are using in the oven begins at room temperature, and is added to the oven for the preheat. This might mean it’s best for things like dips, casseroles, and veggies that have some leeway in time and temp. Never put a cold ceramic item into a hot oven. When taking items out of the oven, letting them cool for a few minutes on an insulating surface like cloth potholders or trivets, or wooden cutting boards is better than onto a cold stone counter.

A - Of course! The KayHo Ceramics studio is a working production studio, so there aren't regular retail hours just yet. Instead, we offer private shopping appointments for anyone who'd like to browse the current collection in person. Take your time, see the pieces up close, feel the carving and texture for yourself, and shop directly from the studio where they're made. Want to come by? We’d love to have you. Visit our Contact page to learn more

A - Definitely! We can fit up to 12 participants and will communicate with you to find a date that works and then you can choose from a menu of workshop projects. Visit our Contact page to learn more and get started.

A - This often feels like a trick question! If we time every part of the process and divide by the amount of pieces made from the original ball of wedged clay and loaded/unloaded in the kiln, the answer might be somewhere in the neighborhood of a few hours, ranging from 2-5 depending on the level of detail and complexity. But that doesn’t take into account the time it takes to order supplies, wait for drying at different stages, firing and cooling time, mixing up new slip colors or joining slip for the handles, photographing them, uploading listings to the website, etc. And even then, we’re overlooking the years spent learning, practicing, and honing skills that allow KayHo Ceramics to have a distinct artistic voice and look. So, the real answer is, “It’s complicated.”. Just know, if you own one of these mugs, it’s very special and the only one just like it in the world!

A - Nope. Carving the designs into the clay is one of Kristen’s very favorite parts of the production process. The design motifs are influenced by architecture from cultures around the world as well as nature and observations in everyday life. Then they come straight out of her head and feel to her like a more satisfying kind of doodling. She is interested in the reductive aspect of carving, and the additive aspect of slip trailing, and loves the designs that can be created by each technique and how they work together to form a satisfying tactile experience.

A - When a piece is ready for carving, the first step is to decide how many sections would be a good fit for the form. Then a little tool called a circle divider is used to make little marks dividing the circle into even sections, adn from there the designs are carved freehand and decisions are usually made course by course. (check out @KayHoCeramics reels to see how the pieces are carved if you haven’t already!) How many sections is the question! Depending on the design idea, sometimes math is involved: an even number allows for alternating shapes or colors, an odd number can be turned into an even number and it’s also fun (wait math is fun? for an artist?!) to work with multiples of three which can be doubled or divided to change or even alternate between even and odd numbers of sections! There are crossovers here with music as well, as different symmetrical patterns create rhythms that our brains notice even if we don’t realize it. All so interesting!