Building the Pizza Oven: Summer 2014

/ Ceramistas Seattle/

Our pizza oven is based on Andy Nassise's oven.  As a visiting artist at University of Utah, we made 15 pizza's for potters from around the area and those who came to the workshop.  What a way to spend time- fire, cooking, eating.  I was hooked. My studio assistants helped with the construction.  It was a great summer project and now is a fantastic focal point for social events held here at Rat City Studios.  Check out the EVENTS Tab in the navigation bar and join us!

Our pizza oven foundation is made from cinder block, mortared together.  Then we laid a thin cement board across the top and made a border of recycled kiln bricks around the edge.  We then poured a 2" layer of cement with a few pieces of rebar spanning the longest dimension.
A layer of recycled kiln brick was placed over this platform.  We built an arch form from 2 x 4's and plywood to hold the arch in place.  This was shimmed into place with bits of plywood. Bricks were stacked up on the arch form.  The spaces created by adding the curvature were packed with adobe.  (arch bricks would fit better, but they are not free...  we got all our recycled kiln brick from a friend).  The adobe was made with recycled slurry clay, pulverized scrapes of soft bring, sawdust, sand, some left over mortar, a little cement and water read somewhere that the consistency should hold together mostly when scrunched into a ball and dropped, rather than breaking apart completely or staying in a sticky mess.  We mixed this all with our feet on a blue tarp covering the patio.  What exfoliation!

Pizza Oven Plans

A special thank you to Becca Headline, Steven Ruby, and Jonathan Steele for their help on this project!  The pizza oven is serving us well!

/ Ceramistas Seattle/ /
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Deborah Schwartzkopf

In 2013 Deb established Rat City Studios in her hometown of Seattle, WA. With a passion to engage and build community through clay she uses her unique skill set to offer educational opportunities. As a studio artist, she makes her own fabulous tableware that infuses life with purposeful beauty. Her artwork is recognized and showcased nationally. Deb was inspired by the guidance of amazing mentors along the way. These important relationships helped foster her desire to provide support and mentorship for the growing clay community. Her adventurous spirit has taken her across the country and beyond to build a depth of experience, knowledge, and a supportive network.

Rain City Clay, the sister-studio to Rat City Studios, opened in April of 2022 in West Seattle. This is a space for experiential group learning and exploriinig clay!

With over 15 years of experience, an MFA from Penn State, artwork included in collections (such as the Kamm Teapot Foundation, San Angelo Museum, and the WA State Arts Collection), numerous publications (including Ceramic Monthly, Pottery Making Illustrated, and Studio Potter Magazine), she has been recognized and honored in her career as a maker and is thrilled to be expanding the community.

Deb completed a Master’s of Fine Art at Penn State and has artwork included in numerous collections such as the Kamm Teapot Foundation, San Angelo Museum, and the WA State Arts Collection. She has been featured in numerous principal clay publications including Ceramic Monthly, Pottery Making Illustrated, and Studio Potter Magazine. Deb has been recognized and honored in her career as a maker and is thrilled to be expanding the clay community.

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