Feeling refreshed from warmer days, the rain and the sun has revitalized our studio and store. We’re excited to help our customers work on their summer projects! As we enjoy the vibes and good weather, be sure to go out and be with your community this Pride month! There will be plenty of markets and festivals for art-lovers and allies, and all the more reason to support your fellow artists.

Upcoming  Workshop

For everyone that’s been waiting for another Electric Kiln Workshop (EKW) you’re in luck! There’s one on June 28th, 9:00am to 1:00pm, taught by Stone Leaf Pottery owners Bob and Ingrid King. The cost is $75 or Free with purchase of one new kiln from Stone Leaf Pottery in the last two years! One kiln = one EKW.

Sign up at the front counter, order online or give us a call!

NOTE: If you’ve purchased a kiln, you’re still required to officially sign up in order to be a part of the workshop.

CLAY OF THE MONTH
KY Mudworks Kota Porcelain

You know it’s a good month when one of the store’s all-time favorite porcelains goes on sale! Kota Porcelain is a gorgeous mid-fire clay body that will quickly become one of your go-to’s in the studio. Bright-white, forgivable and trimmable, this porcelain is made to be incredibly translucent and easy to work with. Glazes pop on a tightly fine-grained texture, making every piece a work of art. Thinking of making colorful pieces for Pride month? Kota’s the perfect clay for it! If you’re considering trying porcelain for the first time, Kota is a great place to start. Fantastic for both beginners and experts, great for sculpting, hand-building and throwing, it’s hard not to fall in love with this clay. Scoop up a bag today! (Limit = 100 pounds at this special price.)

Check out the gorgeous work (below) of our talented customer, Delaney Jane Larson, using our clay AND glaze of the month. The Jungle Gems really pop on the Kota porcelain!

TOOL OF THE MONTH
Calipers - 10% off

We thought we’d give our customers a discount on a necessary studio staple: calipers! Struggle with making jar lids? Calipers. Want a matching set of mugs? Calipers. Calipers are used to accurately gauge proportions between two points. Typically with two arms connected at a pivot, Stone Leaf carries many kinds of calipers that are great for all projects! By being able to measure the diameter of a form, or the outer width and contour of a piece, you can maintain consistency across your work! These tools are fantastic at making matching sets, creating lidded vessels, measuring shrinkage during drying, keeping symmetry and more. Here’s a cool tip: mark your calipers with notches for specific projects to nail the same size every time!

Add any caliper to your cart to see the 10% discount until June 30th!

Want an example of how calipers can work? Check out this Youtube video of a thrower using them to make lids!

GLAZE OF THE MONTH
Mayco Jungle Gems Glazes, 10% off

Jungle Gems is the perfect June glaze special given how colorful they are! Grab a jar and put your rainbow-glazing in action! If you’re unfamiliar with Mayco’s crystal-infused glazes, Jungle Gems are popular for their vibrant colors and effects. They’re gloss glazes containing small pieces of glass frit, or crystals, suspended in a fluid glaze base. During the firing these crystals melt and spread, making bursts of color and patterns across the surface. Coming in a myriad of colors and convenient four ounce jars, Jungle Gems are typically fired to low-fire temperatures, but can be brought up to mid-fire for some extra drips.

Add any Mayco Jungle Gems glaze to your cart to see the 10% discount until June 30th!

Want some great Jungle Gems combinations? Check out Mayco’s glaze combination pagewith Jungle Gems as the product line for some ideas!

Ingrid King’s Tip of the Month…

…involves taking care of your kiln!

A well cared-for kiln can be used for decades. However, at some point, your kiln has reached the end of its life. You have replaced all the replaceable parts, the elements, relays, thermocouples, perhaps the computer. But there comes a point where the brick is just not in good shape and your kiln needs to be retired. My longest-lived kiln was a 34-year-old Duncan. It is now a planter in the parking area in front of Stone Leaf Pottery (shown below). Using old kilns for planters is a favorite kiln retirement plan of mine. Because fire brick that lines kilns is porous, it absorbs water, then pays that reserved water out to plants.

You can also pull out usable parts, thermocouples, controllers, even brick to repurpose it. If the lid and bottom slabs are in good shape, consider saving them in case your new kiln needs a replacement at some point.

If planters and repurposing parts are not of interest, a kiln is a lot to deal with in your garbage. You could separate the kiln into manageable pieces and ask a friend with a dumpster if they can accommodate your retired kiln. It’s a lot of work, but you can remove the metal shell and bring it to the same place you take your soda cans to recycle and then throw the bricks into your regular trash.

Happy Firing!

Thank you, Ingrid!

Staff Interview: JOSEPH ALLEN

For our June Stone Leaf staff member interview, we have Joseph! Joseph is our brilliant team leader and store manager. Gifted at glaze-mixing, kiln knowledge and anatomy analysis, Joseph makes the incredible busts, plates and platters you see in our gallery.

[JOSEPH]  I only started working with clay in the last 3-4 years.  In my prior life, I was a high school band director in Texas, but I started my first ceramics class right around the time I moved to Colorado, took a wheel class at Stone Bear Studios, and the rest is history.  I supported myself for a while selling my work at markets and hosting paint your own pottery events, but at this point I’m delighted to be managing Stone Leaf Pottery and starting to get involved in the local market scene here.

[SLP]  Kiss, marry, kill: throwing, hand-building, glazing?

[JOSEPH] Kiss throwing, marry hand-building, and kill kill kill glazing!

[SLP]  What’s your secret weapon of pottery tools?

[JOSEPH] I don’t know if I have a secret weapon really, but I’ve always got a  Mudtools red rib, wooden Garrity clay knife, the Xiem retractable scoring tool and a Fineline Applicator filled with vinegar to make attachments.  I also really like using a little bit of window screen to smooth out and sand any rough spots on my greenware.

[SLP] What’s your favorite clay body recently?

[JOSEPH] We have access to so many clays, I’m always trying something new, but at the moment my new fav is the New Mexico Ironstone, which is a really unique black clay.  I also use a lot of Laguna 52 Plain and LC4 Sculpture as well as New Mexico Especkled.

[SLP] What do you love about your art?

[JOSEPH] It’s really satisfying making things by hand, and using things that were hand-made.  I always feel a connection to the artist through their work, and I hope people feel the same way about my stuff.

[FUN FACT} Joseph Allen will have two pieces in the gallery show

at the CommUNITY Exhibition at 40 West Gallery, June 6-29

Thank you so much, Joseph!

Get ready for the plethora of art events in June to celebrate Pride!

Check out the CommUNITY Exhibition at 40 West Gallery, June 6-29, an exhibition celebrating inclusivity and community! The opening reception will be June 6, 5-9pm. Swing by for some incredible pieces made by local artists, including Stone Leaf Pottery’s very own Joseph Allen (the store manager you just read about in this month’s interview)!

The Queer Craft Fair & Pride First Friday at Glazed Ceramics Studio June 6, 5-9pm is a perfect opportunity to see pottery made by your community.

The iconic Fruity Arts Fest (formerly the Rainbow Market) is happening June 8, 10am to 4pm, and will feature 75+ local art vendors, food trucks and other fun things at Tracks!

“Forging Love” LGBTQ+ Artisan Fair is happening at the Backyard on Blake’s on June 14, 12-6pm! Don’t miss out on this awesome art fair, showcasing handmade art and wares in the RiNo Arts District.

And to top it off, Denver PrideFest will feature 250+ vendors during their market June 28-29 at Civic Center Park! Be sure to check out their Gayborhood, showcasing small businesses and artists, located in Lincoln Veterans Memorial Park.

Lastly, our 26th Anniversary is coming up! We’re excited to celebrate 26 beautiful years as your local pottery retailer. We’ll be sure to have candy up at the counter for our customers!

Any further questions about our specials? Inquire at our front desk during regular business hours, our staff are happy to help!

That’s all for now, folks! Happy potting, and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Elise and the Stone Leaf Pottery Crew

All Clay of the Month purchases are limited to 100# of clay. The sale price is valid only in June 2025 and not combinable with other discounts.

It's not uncommon for us to run out of the clay(s) of the Month, so we always suggest you shop early in the Month to ensure the clay is in stock. Also, when purchasing Glaze or Tool(s), or Equipment of the Month, again, it's limited to products on hand. So, if we don't have it when you shop, come shop with us again soon! We replenish our shelves constantly—we'll hopefully have more soon! Got more questions about how this works? Please, please reach out to us!

During the freezing months, we will not accept returns on clay or liquid chemical products such as wax resist. As much as we wish we could take back that half-frozen bag of B-Mix, we can’t repurpose it. Thank you for being mindful.