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The process or producing ceramics is complex and multi-faceted. Each type requires something different and every piece of pottery has its own style in terms of how it is made. At Lempesis Ceramics we use three types of clay. First of all, Sifnos clay, which is mostly used for kitchenware. It is special because it is made from the soil of Sifnos (red clay). Sifnian soil is the only kind of soil in Greece that resists the high temperatures of ovens, due to the silver it contains. Since the reserves are not plentiful and since the production process for Sifnos clay is difficult and arduous, for this reason, two other types of clay are used, Cretan clay, which is appropriate for ceramics that require double baking (painted bowls, etc.) and the clay from Halkida, which is of the lowest quality and is used for items such as flower pots, etc.

The production of Sifnos clay requires very hard work and labor. First of all the production steps include the gathering of the soil (red clay); subsequently, the soil must be strained, and then be placed mixed with water in the batch mixers). After remaining there for several days, once the clay and the water have become a uniform mixture, the clay is gathered and placed in a storage room until it dries. Finally, after several days have gone by, the clay is ready for making ceramics with it.

When the potter decides to make an object, he or she takes some clay and places it in the moulding machine. This specific machine shapes the clay and provides him or her with the pieces desired in order to begin working afterwards. Later, the clay is placed on the wheel. There, the potter, with all his or her skill, after centering the clay, begins to make the object. Now, the artist gives the clay a shape... after finishing, he or she leaves the ready items in the sun to dry. Most items are ready for the kiln after a few days; however, there are some others, such as painted dishes, that require another process. After being placed and made on the wheel, slightly before they dry completely, they are covered with a white or red coating that is called baindanas, after which they are drawn on (engraved) and painted. When this stage is also complete, then they are put in the kiln to be baked. At this stage, the kiln must be turned on for the entire evening, and if it is a wood-burning kiln and not an electric one, someone has to be there in order to feed it continuously with wood or sawdust (wood shavings). After two or three days, after it has cooled, we open the kiln and remove the ceramics.

Some also need a second baking stage: such are those that have to be covered with enamel (glaze) and inserted again for a second baking. Subsequently, exactly the same way as the first time, they will be baked again and then everything will be ready. The only thing left to do, as a final touch, and only on pottery without glazing is the so-called “ploumisma” (ornamentation). In this way, we can write, if someone wishes so, his or her name for example on a ceramic object.