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Glazes / Soapstone
A closeup of a ceramic plate in a light gray color featuring iron speckles

Soapstone

Lake pebbles, wet concrete, slate. A medium, clean, classic blue-gray.

Soapstone had long been part of the East Fork core glaze collection before retiring and then returning as a seasonal glaze in late 2021. Its formula is based on a glaze called Foundry Hill Creme, which was used on the inside of wood-fired pots made by East Fork Founder Alex Matisse, John Vigeland, Co-Founder and CFO, and the potters who joined them when the pottery was located on an old farm in Marshall, North Carolina.

A hand holds a large ceramic bowl with an unglazed rim in a light gray color
An artful arrangement of plates and bowls in a light gray color surrounded by rocks in similar hues.

"So not to get all cheesy but Soapstone holds a special place in my heart. Soapstone and Eggshell were the first two glazes that we formulated for gas-fired kilns. I remember Kyle and I (but moreso Kyle) doing the first line blends of Soapstone and our first streaky mess of glaze attempts. So it holds a sense of nostalgia for me, I guess. It felt like such a success when we got the first iteration looking good and at least close to how Alex, Connie and John envisioned it. Beyond all that, I just think it’s a lovely glaze. The contrast of the iron spots, the slight translucency of grey, how the iron can at times have the slightest downward pull. It’s lush." - Cade Hollomon-Cook, Small Batch Potter

A person with blonde hair has a shallow ceramic bowl in a light gray color resting on their knee and is holding a stem of berries above it.
An animated image that says "East Fork is a vessel for" a rotating number of things