Since 2009, she has been dedicated to producing ceramics – hand thrown on a pottery wheel and firing with wood. She shares her knowledge of pottery throwing with students at the Matilda Art Workshop in Brno and teaches interested parties how to prepare glazes and fire with wood at KC Doupe. She manages all this alongside her university studies in Brno. A wide range of utility and decorative ceramics – stoneware and products made from red clay – were on display at the Ceramic Markets in Pezinok in 2013.

Jana Matiščíková describes herself as:

“I first started working with ceramics alongside university. I haven’t finished my studies yet, but ceramics has remained with me and become my profession.

I mostly make products on the pottery wheel using light stoneware. Initially, I fired in an electric kiln at temperatures around 1250°C. Over time, I decided to switch to wood firing for ceramics. With the help of people from the Ceramic Center Doupě, I built a kiln and learned how to load the kiln, understand glazes, firing, and also that it’s difficult to fire with wet wood:)

I produce both utility and decorative ceramics, lately focusing on garden houses. I try to understand the proportions that make the product a harmonious whole. For decoration, I mainly use red iron oxide and glazes. I mix them myself based on recipes from friends or books – feel free to contact me if you’re interested in them.

I first fire things in an electric kiln at a temperature of 1050°C. Then I fire in the wood kiln. The firing process takes approximately 9-11 hours.”

Jana Matiščíková