Mayumi Makino Kieffer's pots are about connections between material, creativity, food, and people. Her hand-applied rivet details on her pots each represent someone who has made her stronger, wiser, and better.
In this post, an excerpt from the April 2026 issue of Ceramics Monthly, Mayumi walks us through how she adds surface details that are enhanced by the wood firing—from carefully gridding the surface of a leather-hard jar, to placing individually sized clay balls at every intersection, to handle attachment on the lid. –Jennifer Poellot Harnetty, editor
Surface decorations, such as the bell rivets on my jars, cups, bowls, etc., have a specific meaning: they represent people in my life who have made me stronger, wiser, and better. I used to worry that the rivets were all neatly aligned, now I worry that even ONE of those little rivet tabs will fall off. I would hate that they felt like they were omitted.
Cover and dry the piece to semi-leather hard, then measure lines by dividing the jar vertically and horizontally, creating a uniform grid (1–3). Trim off excess clay from the grooves, and this grid will form the location of the rivets. Attaching rivets is time consuming, so I cover and attach premeasured beads made from small coils, one section at a time, occasionally spraying with a water/distilled vinegar solution of about 5:1. As for the actual attachment of the beads, I use a ball-tipped stylus to make an indentation into the jar at each of the grid cross points. Then, each rivet is sized into a tiny ball. After you add slip to the indented cross-point, place the ball on the slip and gently press to slightly flatten (4).
Completing the Lid and Firing
The final production step is completing the lid. First, a handmade stencil is used to cut out a desired handle shape. The handles have ending tabs that suit the bell design, and provide enough surface area for attaching the handle. The handle is attached by etching both the lid and underside of the handle, applying slip to the handle, and pressing it into place. Seams are sealed, and I occasionally attach rivets to the handle tabs (5). The final piece (6) is dried, bisque fired, and wood fired to cone 10 or hotter for maximum ash impact.
The wood-firing process that leaves that beautiful and unpredictable surface reminds me not to insist on what “I” want, but to let the ash solidify all those bumpy rivets, bringing them together through the flow of ash glaze over them—and ultimately permanently connecting us in a protective armor.
the author Mayumi Makino Kiefer, earned a BFA from Ohio Northern University, in 2012, and an MFA from the University of Oklahoma, in 2019. She currently teaches ceramics at Pittsburg State University, Kansas.
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Published Apr 13, 2026
In this post, an excerpt from the April 2026 issue of Ceramics Monthly, Mayumi walks us through how she adds surface details that are enhanced by the wood firing—from carefully gridding the surface of a leather-hard jar, to placing individually sized clay balls at every intersection, to handle attachment on the lid. –Jennifer Poellot Harnetty, editor
PS. To see Mayumi's full jar-making process, check out her article in the April 2026 issue of Ceramics Monthly! Not a subscriber? Subscribe today!
Developing the Surfaces
Surface decorations, such as the bell rivets on my jars, cups, bowls, etc., have a specific meaning: they represent people in my life who have made me stronger, wiser, and better. I used to worry that the rivets were all neatly aligned, now I worry that even ONE of those little rivet tabs will fall off. I would hate that they felt like they were omitted.
Cover and dry the piece to semi-leather hard, then measure lines by dividing the jar vertically and horizontally, creating a uniform grid (1–3). Trim off excess clay from the grooves, and this grid will form the location of the rivets. Attaching rivets is time consuming, so I cover and attach premeasured beads made from small coils, one section at a time, occasionally spraying with a water/distilled vinegar solution of about 5:1. As for the actual attachment of the beads, I use a ball-tipped stylus to make an indentation into the jar at each of the grid cross points. Then, each rivet is sized into a tiny ball. After you add slip to the indented cross-point, place the ball on the slip and gently press to slightly flatten (4).
Completing the Lid and Firing
The final production step is completing the lid. First, a handmade stencil is used to cut out a desired handle shape. The handles have ending tabs that suit the bell design, and provide enough surface area for attaching the handle. The handle is attached by etching both the lid and underside of the handle, applying slip to the handle, and pressing it into place. Seams are sealed, and I occasionally attach rivets to the handle tabs (5). The final piece (6) is dried, bisque fired, and wood fired to cone 10 or hotter for maximum ash impact.
The wood-firing process that leaves that beautiful and unpredictable surface reminds me not to insist on what “I” want, but to let the ash solidify all those bumpy rivets, bringing them together through the flow of ash glaze over them—and ultimately permanently connecting us in a protective armor.
the author Mayumi Makino Kiefer, earned a BFA from Ohio Northern University, in 2012, and an MFA from the University of Oklahoma, in 2019. She currently teaches ceramics at Pittsburg State University, Kansas.
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