Functional Handmade Pottery

I started making pots in 1992 after I returned to my home town of Shelby, NC. I had just left after four years of college at North Carolina State University. There I studied mathematics and horticulture. Ha. Unlikely combo right? My desire was always to go to ART school but I ended up at NCSU for four years and after that I figured it was too late to start all over.

Anyhow I got into pots after I came back from college and it’s a pretty long story, but maybe I’ll put it up here sometime soon. For the most part I had LOTS of help from other really great potters, I took workshops and attended weekend pottery conferences. I made lots of pots, really bad ones for quite some while, before I went full time in 1996.

I made salt glazed stoneware from 1996 until 2008. In 2008 I began working in earthenware and stayed with that for six years. I built a propane fired soda kiln in mid 2014. I am currently working exclusively in soda glazed stoneware at this time.

My strongest influences are potters from the Leach/Hamada lineage. I want my pots to be used, function is very important me. Sarah and I have loads of handmade pottery in our home. We love sharing the experience of using these pots with our friends and family. My desire as a potter is to get as many good pots out into the world as I can. I feel that using handmade pottery enriches our daily lives. Everyone should at least own a handmade mug and dinner plate.

I hold 3 or 4 Home Sales at the pottery each year. This is the best time to come out and visit, see where the pots are made, and choose from the hundreds of pots in the showroom. You can sign up to be on the mailing list via the Contact page. If you live far away you can easily shop online. I also sell to several shops around the country and do a few craft shows each year.