GOD'S COUNTRY POTTERY

As I explain in my bio below, I consider myself an amateur potter. I have only been playing with clay for 5 years now, but one of the things Emily Reason taught me was to save money by making my own glazes and by recycling my clay...so you better believe, I do those two things, I'm all about frugality. She also taught me not to be afraid to experiment and fail at times. I do both of those things a lot and I'm still trying, so I guess I'm not afraid, but I will tell you that I do get frustrated. Making pottery isn't a natural for me, another reason why I know I'm an amateur, and some days I give up to try another day. 

My studio is in my home and the electric kiln lives out in an old tobacco barn in the yard, that my husband, Bill, so graciously re-vamped for me. Our house is surrounded by mountain, in the middle of a mountain, visited by many bird species, bunnies, squirrels, coyote, bear, deer and wild turkey. It's a nice short walk through the garden to load my kiln.  I always pray before I start, asking for the Lord's help, because I really need it. Some days are really great and I feel blessed with some actual talent, other days not so much. I say all this because you can find much more beautiful pottery out there, especially in the area where we live. BUT, each finished piece that I produce has been spoken to, prayed over, argued with or laughed at, certainly marveled at, and finally, it is unique and meant to both be enjoyed by it's owner and ultimately to help someone, somewhere who I will most likely never meet, as it's purchase price is donated to a ministry of my choice.  Very often, I donate work to a few places that have the capability of selling the pieces themselves. Ministries that have gift shops or thrift shops receive goods from me when I am able to deliver and produce them. This brings me great joy also.

My pottery is stoneware, the clay most often is Speckled Brownstone, and the glazes are made at my home studio from recipes I find or experiments I try. I bisque fire at Cone 04  (1945 degrees) &  and glaze fire at Cone 6  (2232 degrees).  All my functional ware is dishwasher and microwave/oven safe. I enjoy using textures from nature and cloth, and the leaves I use are all real, and so, are all different.  My most widely used glaze, Broken Celadon, is very beautiful to me and also unique, as it has so many variations, none of which I can control. I am finding after time goes by, my own style. I prefer earthy tones and texture and feel as though my work has an organic character to it. Almost all is designed as functional pottery, though I will make Christmas ornaments and ceramic crosses and tiles sometimes. I have learned that I have little control over the finished product. I may start out with a picture in my mind of what it will look like, but because I cannot control everything, it usually is different than I expected. Kind of like life...and that's ok, sometimes even better.