Elevate Your Home with Artistic Ceramics
Find one-of-a-kind ceramics that bring a touch of sophistication to your space.
Elevate Your Home with Artistic Ceramics
Find one-of-a-kind ceramics that bring a touch of sophistication to your space.
About KEG Pottery
Our Craftsmanship
KEG Pottery ceramics are wheel thrown or hand built in Bend, Oregon. The stoneware pieces are - with few exceptions - dishwasher and microwave safe. We take pride in our attention to detail and the quality of our work. We believe that the time and care we put into each piece is what sets us apart from other ceramic companies.
Our Collection
Our collection includes a variety of ceramics, from tableware to decorative pieces. We offer a range of colors and styles, so you can find the perfect piece for your home or as a gift for someone special.
We utilize elaborate decorative techniques, including layering hand painted glazes up to 8 layers deep, which result in beautiful flowing finishes where the kiln creates the art, resulting in one-of-a-kind items. Our "glaze resist" techniques showcase the natural beauty of the clay.
Be sure to check out our GALLERY section for more details on our products
Ceramics Care Guide
How to care for your handmade ceramics
Already own a KEG Pottery item? Please read this care guide so you can make the most of it!
Microwave: Although we use copper/silver/gold colored glazes, they do not actually contain metals and do not spark in a microwave. Darker and red clays may get moderately warm when heated for several minutes in a microwave, do use a pot holder to remove. White clays tend to not heat up, but there is always some heat transfer from hot liquids inside the mug or bowl, so use caution when removing from the microwave.
To avoid severe thermal shock, it is always best to heat up water/coffee in the mug. Hot coffee into a cold mug should not cause any issues (if it does, contact us to discuss), but boiling water in a very cold mug may cause excessive thermal shock. Warm your mug to room temperature before pouring boiling water into it - just to be on the safe side.
Cleaning tips: Most of KEG pottery ceramics are dishwasher safe and have been tested to retain their finish unchanged after many months in the dishwasher. For the interior of most of our mugs and cups we use Coyote Enduro liner glazes that are specially formulated to be durable for dinnerware. Other glazes are durable commercial food safe glazes. That being said, depending on the detergents you use, it is possible that after months or years of use, the harsh chemicals may result in a slightly dulled appearance of the glazes. If you want to keep the mug looking like new forever, hand wash is recommended.
Lids: If you have purchased a travel mug with a lid, the lids can be washed in the dishwasher and used in the microwave. When heating liquids be sure to put lid in open position to let steam escape. When storing your mug, remove the lid so that the silicon can retain its shape.
Raku Pottery: Occasionally, we sell Raku items. These are low fire, meaning that the clay does not vitrify and may absorb water. Therefore, to preserve the beauty of the raku finish, do not expose raku pottery to water or direct sunlight. Direct sunlight and heat may re-oxidize the glaze colors produced by the reduction firing, making them appear brown.
Food safety: This is a controversial and tricky subject in the pottery world. The good news is that no US glazes contain lead and all glazes used on dishes by KEG Pottery are from the US or Canada and labeled food safe. We follow the glaze manufacturer instructions regarding glazing and firing our functional ware to the best of our ability. We don't sell items with pinholes, crazing and other glaze defects on food surfaces. If your pottery seems to have a glaze issue, please take photos and contact us. This also means that KEG pottery avoids layering glazes on food surfaces. This is because glaze companies only label single glazes as food safe, but do not comment on the safety of combinations of several glazes that may react with each other. This doesn't necessarily mean that pottery with layered glazes is not food safe, but it that the food safety of glaze combinations cannot be guaranteed.
Some of KEG pottery's decorative bowls derive their beautiful effects from layering glazes, which is why they are labeled decorative, not functional, meaning food safety cannot be guaranteed. If you have purchased a decorative bowl with layered glazes and want to use it for food, you do so at your own risk. It is still best to not use it with acidic and liquid foods (lemons, tomato salad, soup, etc.) and to never store food on ware with layered glazes. Sometimes a glaze can look layered but be a single glaze. Or we may have used several glazes that touch, but don't overlap, which is also considered food safe. If you are unsure, take a photo of your KEG pottery item and send us an email.
You will sometimes notice layered glazes on other potters work. If an experienced potter mixes their own glazes and knows the ingredients or amounts of ingredients to avoid, this might a be perfectly safe practice. We cannot comment on the food safety of other potter's work.
