Process - Heating

Every piece of porcelain, ranging from the huge vases, to the tea cups from the tea set.... have gone through the doors of this kiln.

Process - Dye Versus Glaze

The colours on the porcelain is either sprayed with glaze or pre-dyed.

Pre-dyed clay is used for more specific items, such as the leaves of the narcissus.

For uniform coloured items such as the vase range (below), the spray glaze is used. The glaze is applied and before being heated. The process repeats until the ideal glaze finishing is achieved. The number of rounds is dependent on the size & shape of each item.

These are partially finished vases. They have just gone through the first round of heating. Awaiting to be cooled down before the second coat of glaze.

See the spray below. It's white plate. Once it's out of the kiln, we get a blue plate.

Process - Petal-Making

We say this is a process helps one to think zen. Depending on how you view it, some call this therapeutic, while others call it monotonous.

Monotonous as it can be, the end result of this mundane task is an intricate piece of art. It is what makes the blooms of the plate alive.

Just before each "petal" dries up, it is very carefully inserted to create the blooms.

Process - Handwork

Much as we'll like machines to share our workload, most of our pieces which still requires that human touch.

Our masters have gone through the relevant training in the arts school. Certainly no easy feat sitting for hours with the vase & crafting tools. Part of our creative team is made up of budding porcelain artisans.

Process - Casting

Once the mould is ready, the clay is carefully kneaded and thinly-spread within the internal walls of the mould. Thanks to technology, we can now achieve not only a thin spread but also an evenly distributed one.

The machine that has displaced much of our hand-kneading work, so that our hands & time could be used for more delicate work.

Can you spot the difference between this & the first picture? Look at the inside walls of the mould. The clay has been kneaded in.

Process - Raw Materials

There are 2 types of clay used in Le Taoh's workshop.

To put it simply, it comes in 2 forms:

1) The solid & malleable form that most of us are familiar with.

2) Liquid form, that's used for bigger items, such as the vase series. Before pouring them into the mould, it is important to ensure that the emulsion is well-mixed.

Process - Mould Making

Consistency & standardisation is maintained, as far as possible.

Once a new design is finalised, a mould is produced. This is particularly especially important for items like tea sets. It ensures every tea cup is of the same shape, thickness & size.

The Process

We thought you might be curious to know what goes on behind-the-scenes at the workshop.

So, we're happy to share them here, through our candid captures.

It's a tedious process. We would love to cut it short. But I guess for every piece of heart-work, there are no short-cuts.

We will take you through the process in the subsequent posts.

Click on the "Process" label to find out more.