Announcement    Welcome to my gallery! I have been a full-time potter for over 40 years, working every day in the studio making things that please me as much as I hope they will please you.

When I began in 1974, I was fresh out of stints working in, managing, and then owning vegetarian restaurants, as well as helping to manage an organic food co-op. I believed, and still do, that work with meaning helps to change you, and perhaps even the world, a bit at a time. Working with clay, one pot at a time, keeps my world in perspective, and allows me to connect with like-minded people all around. Over the years many of my customers have become my friends. This is a very user-friendly career! If you are unable to visit my booth at any of the craft shows I exhibit at during the year, or stop by my Rochester, NY studio and showroom, I hope you’ll be able to experience some of the joy I get out of my daily work by looking through these pots on display.

All of my pots are made from high-fired stoneware, a rugged clay that can withstand the rigors of daily use. I throw most of my pots, glaze them using wood ash and other glazes that I have developed over the years, and fire them either in a gas kiln of my design and construction, or more recently, in an electric kiln. The ash glazes develop their signature rivulet patterns during the last couple hundred degrees of their stay in the kiln, from about 2200-2400 degrees F, and those patterns, combined with the slip decorating I do on the wet clay, and the interaction with the other glazes I use, create a piece that refers to the natural world around us, without my actually trying to depict that world. I aim for my pieces to show my love of classic design, while reflecting my deep regard for our planet.

Making pots has truly combined many of my loves…the love of the earth that comes from my experiences growing fruits and vegetables, as well as my geology studies at university; the love of the limited-edition, hand-made object, and my love of cooking.

Enjoy your visit here, and if you want to learn more about my pots or about me, please stop by my website: www.richardaerni.com .

Thanks!