Handmade Ceramics from my studio in Portland, Maine

Having completed my MFA in ceramics just over a year ago, and a 12 year hiatus working in various studios across the country, I have returned to my home-state and set up a studio where I primarily create functional works in earthenware and occasionally porcelain.

I have been working with clay regularly since my first year of undergrad in 1996, where I finally had the opportunity to explore and complete the ceramic process on my own. The clay studio was where I spent most of my spare time, and I knew pretty early on that this was something I wanted to do for a living. I apprenticed with a potter and musician straight out of school and promptly moved to the southwest, where I was exposed to another world of ceramic influences and inspiration.

10 solid years in Taos, New Mexico helped establish a strong high-fire functional pottery background for me, firing wood kilns that we (the community of clay artists I surrounded myself with) built ourselves. Teaching art and working in restaurants along the way to support my pottery habit, at times living out of my studio, (or turning my living quarters into a studio!) made me want to hone my skills and ultimately ditch the real jobs and make a go of working full-time in clay!

Moving back across the country with my cat and my potter's wheel in the back of my station wagon, I attended a 2 year MFA program in the Hudson Vally of NY, where fell in love with earthenware. The focus of my thesis was working with native clays and making connections between the origins of materials and food and their relationships to the consumer. I am still very much interested in these connections, and since returning to Maine I have sourced some of my own clays and when the ground thaws I will be back at it again with a shovel and a bucket and a geological treasure map in hand! Sourcing my own clay and firing to a lower temperature satisfy my desire to be more fully connected with the ground beneath my feet. I like to include references in my work to both my time in the southwest, as well as to my home state and my humble upbringing on a farm in rural Maine.

Opening my etsy shop has been a way to reach a broader audience, opening up to a global marketplace, and really pushing myself to be better at marketing. As much as I want people to still come buy pots from me in person, I am grateful for the opportunity to present my work to people online. If you happen to be in Portland, Maine, please feel free to contact me and I would love to show you my studio!


Thanks for your interest!

Rebecca