I began collecting American art pottery many years before I started working in clay.

Because really great period vases can cost thousands of dollars at auction, I decided to try making similar pieces for myself. It didn't occur to me to sell my work until a person walked into my first ceramics class and asked if she could buy one of my early vases.

Since that day, many people have told me how happy they are to be able to find affordable heirloom quality American art pottery. I'm excited to be carrying on a great pottery tradition.

Each JW Art Pottery vase is thrown individually, by hand, on a potters wheel. To create the decoration, I apply thin coils of clay to the pot's surface and model the clay with wooden tools.

My classic Arts and Crafts style vases are glazed with unique matte micro-crystalline glazes. The minute crystals that form in the glaze during the firing give each piece a soft appearance. My macro-crystalline vases are inspired by the work of ceramist Adelaide Alsop Robineau and the French Art Nouveau potteries, including Pierrefonds and Denbac.

If you'd like to learn more about my process, go to my website at www.jwartpottery.com. If you'd like to see photos of pots in various stages of production, go to my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/jwartpottery.