About ourselves

Good idea, the group always changes a bit. I'm just starting my 30th year as a small-time production potter in Idaho. I put more information than most people would want to know about me on my website. Brad Sondahl

Hi, My name is Andrea, and I live in Perth, Western Australia. I am a child care worker by the first profession, and ceramic artist by the second. I am lucky to combine the two as I teach clay art to 3-5 year olds in local day care centres, school and libraries (older kids as well, as the opportunity arises). I am involved in community art projects as well as making my own work for exhibitions. I am also a member of ceramic groups, the top of the list is Clay Feet Exhibiting Group which is very active in finding new avenues for promoting and exhibiting ceramics to the new audiences. The group web site is in the making, but you can see the unfinished version at

I am fairly new pottery, having gotten into it as a stress reducer from corporate life in 1999. I do a little throwing (some call it turning in the SE US) but mostly handbuilding. Last year I left the corporate world behind and have promised myself to focus on pottery and gardening. Luckily, I don't have to make .mortgage payments out of it, so I sell my work to cover costs plus a little profit...I get my kicks from having folks like my work. I have a web site

I have exciting news - I entered my first juried artshow with one of my large sculptures. (It's not on the website yet) Anyway the show was for all visual media and I won second place overall. has a little cash prize. I hope they buy the piece for their little garden though - but they probably won't. I hope you don't me blowing my horn< I have never won anything like this before and I am really excited!

well i live in claremont, california usa - seems to be a lot of potters around here! my website (posted from someone i never me except on line) is

i like vessels the most. greek styles, american indian, korean. and try fountains as a way to actually DO SOMETHING with all these vessels i keep making... i'll also build another patio cover one of these days to hang more planters off of. the 1st one is pretty full.

i'm really hooked on using texture in the pieces & designed & built a good many texture tools.

~ and maybe i spend more time then i should on line gathering pictures to wall paper my workshop ceiling with...

see ya

steve

Stephanie Coleman wrote:

anything like

I started doing pottery in San Bernardino, California (U.S. of A - [I'm a flaming libertarian, Liberal]) in the 70s with Ken Reed, a student of Paul Soldner, as my instructor. Ken along with Che his wife were and are to me the symbols of the art and craft.

I moved to the east coast with my husband in 1979 and began earning my living writing programs for research in cognitive psychology. Whenever I could I would find a way to play with clay but with the demands of work, children, home construction, etc. it became the poor stepchild that was badly neglected. For years I have threatened to quit my job and pot full time but for years my husband has pointed out that our grad students and our children would be unable to finish their education without me (for programming and finance respectively). This year I bought myself a kiln and have turned half of the basement into my studio. For years I have always done volunteer work in the various studios I have worked in because I love the entire process of working with clay. This Spring however, I had my first entire independent complete production cycle and it was a gas (well actually electric... ).

I have mixed my programming and my love of the craft by writing a simplified glazing program. If you want it you can contact me at snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com . I would like to get feedback on how it isn't user friendly and what it lacks if you decide to play with it. You would think that since computer programming has been my livelihood for decades that I would have a web page but that too has gone to the back burner. So much to do - so little time in life....

I have been reading this newsgroup for years. I am a high school drawing and ceramics teacher in upstate New York and have been active in ceramics for about seven years. Most of my work is one of kind functional wheel thrown pieces but recently have been doing quite a bit of figural sculpture. I don't have a web site yet, but plan on one someday. I am currently trying to set up my own studio (in the basement) but the rest of the house renovations seem to consume my weekends. I am constantly trying to accumulate new ideas and techniques and this past year took part in my first aborigama firing. I recently built a raku kiln and can't wait to fire it ( saving up for the burners). Well that's me and I just wanted to thank the group for all the great info and inspiration. John

Go blow your own horn, I did when I won an award last year too. Its really exciting :o) So wonderful to have your work recognised and all your time vindicated :o) Congratulations In NZ we call making on the wheel throwing, then trimming when leather hard turning :o) A

Hi,

I'm Steve Mills, and I live in Bath, UK. Apart from a brief period teaching I've been involved in Clay in this area since 1967. I did 18 years self-employed production of domestic and Restaurant wares, and then moved sideways into being a Ceramic Supplier with my Wife Kate, in

Steve

In article , annemarie writes

I am still browsing around your site - wow! Very good! I have a couple of questions already, though, so I will post them and my own intro.

You apprenticed under a potter trained in Norway (of all places!). Can you tell me a bit about what is unique or special with Norwegian techniques?

You write that you are mixing your clay by foot - like stomping grapes, you mean? Sounds like squishy fun!

See ya!

Marianne

Hi Stephanie!

First of all, congratulations on your placement! That is so cool!

Secondly, I have had a browse of the stuff on your site, and I really like your expression and colors!

I hope you don't mind that I saved a copy of your face-vases to my "inspirations" folder!

Marianne

Nice site you have!

I took the liberty of copying a pic of your cheminies and your textured vessels

Marianne

Well - here I am!

I joined the group about a year ago.

I am Norwegian, but I have also lived in Canada (Vancouver Island), Australia and Bahrain (Middle East) and am now soon starting my 5th year in Switzerland.

I have only been working with clay for 3 years, although I did try to drop French class in my last year of high school and do pottery instead - but my dad was of a different opinion ;-)

I finally managed to get me a wheel last year, though I had to have it out on the terrace, so the wheel-season wasn't very long. We have recently bought and refurbished a house here, and I now have my own pottery room. I still need a few more shelves and some better lighting, so after my trip to Norway soon, and our Canadian guests, I hope to seriously get back to my wheel again.

I look after my friend's daughter when she is working, which is in normal times about one afternoon a week - and then I get to borrow her at other times. We have fun making things together and I show her how to do things. She also had a go on my wheel (with me sitting behind her and guiding her hands) last year, and probably will again soon. She will be 8 at the end of June. I love to do pottery with kids, as they have such original ideas and expressions and just love being creative and seeing things take shape between their fingers - kinda like me! I will never be a real grown-up! Haha!

Other than that, I am in my mid-40's, hubby, no kids, 2 older cats, house, cabriolet (4-seater, so I can drive my guests around) and am more and more enjoying making delicious, healthy food. Anyone who enjoys cooking can check out my best discovery here

Oh yeah - languages: Norwegian and English mother tongue. Swiss-German/High-German pretty good but by far perfect.

I would love to get in touch with other potters in Switzerland or nearby across the borders.

Oh yeah - I have a homepage, but there's no pottery on there, because it really hasn't been updated much since 1998.

Marianne

marianne - or anyone - kick me an e-mail at snipped-for-privacy@aol.com and i'll send pics of texture tools or other stuff.

i throw a basic cylinder, apply the texture, and shape the form from the inside. i use my own tools but used to use toy car truck tires, saw blades, pastery cutters, etc top get an interesting texture.

watch out - it'll hook you!

see ya

steve

Hi Everyone!

Freeport, Illinois, USA is where I call home - just a short distance from the famed Galena Pottery area - and am more of a lurker than a poster, but I do have my moments.....

I'm not a full-time potter - I hold a full-time job in the administrative offices at the our community college. I do, however, manage to work part-time as the chief gofer/technician/kiln mistress/tutor/researcher and assist in the ceramics department. It's strictly volunteer and as we have a very small department, my hours are adjusted to accomodate the need for me elsewhere on campus at odd times. (It's so nice to be needed.) lol

I teach children's classes (ages 8-12) for our Community Education department one night a week a few weeks a semester, and will be one of the two presenters this fall when we finally are able to offer our new workshops. (Thank you everyone for all the wonderful advice on that request.)

My studio at home is where I can be found in the wee hours of the morning or late at night when I need to "decompress" - my daughter and her husband call it "thestudiothatusedtobeagarage" - always with a silly grin because of what it took to make it become a reality. I don't have a website, but I do have a small gallery where you can see some of my kids' work from last fall.

I'm a wheel-worker - not real fond of handbuilding, although I can pretty much hold my own when I need to. I'm also a beadworker, still enjoy sewing once in a while, do a little knitting in the winter, am a fairly proficient cook/baker and like puttering in the garden and yard if/when time permits.

If any of you have had a chance to check out the Naked Raku group on Yahoo!, chances are, you've run into me along the way, whether you realized it or not - I'm one of the co-moderators for the group.

I, too, started in clay as a way to reduce stress and because I had always had this unexplainable urge to get my hands into it. Before I started having problems with my eyesight, I would use sewing or beadworking as my channeling device for negatives - clay has taken their place and I can't imagine being without it.

And, like Steven, I'm a maker - of things - always have been and always will be.

Take care all,

Lori

Life is a work of art, Created by the one who lives it.

To be honest, he did train in Norway, but not as intensively as the one who worked 7 days per week for a year in a folk pottery in Japan, and had much less to offer in experience and decoration.

I have mixed clay stomping around like grapes in a horse trough--it was very hard work and I only did it for a year or so--in the end, each pug of clay also needed hand wedging, so it was a real aerobic workout. Although I wore a mask, I think it likely I breathed more dust than is good for one. I don't recommend it--I just did it... Brad

dkat, It helps if I spell it right the first time (good first impression lol) . It is a Noborigama kiln. It is two chamber wood fired kiln. It was a wonderful experience that inspired me to (Wishing) build my own one day. I just need the land. Here is the link to the studio I fired at:

Thank you, that was a treat. If only I could convince the neighbors that having flames leaping in the back yard at night were not a threat.

I started out doing reduction firing and wood firing is still my favorite of all firing types but I am learning to like oxidation firing.

Donna

not at all...I save inspiration photos all the time - i take it as a compliment!