Judy Motzkin creates the deep, complex coloration of these clay pieces with a process she calls "flame painting." She uses no glazes. Instead, she carefully burnishes each piece while damp, then applies terra sigillata once it's dry. She repeats this process, polishing between coats, until the piece is buffed to the worn smoothness of a river stone. The kind that invites the touch of the hand.

Markings appear in the kiln, where the pieces are exposed to various combustibles, some of which have been soaked in mineral solutions. What comes out of the kiln, though a direct result of what goes in, is always a mystery. The colors and markings left by the process of fire painting are what bring the final pieces to life.