Today we’d like to introduce you to Lee Marshall.
Hi lee, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I spent 30 years in corporate as an engineer & manufacturing executive. I started doing pottery when my husband got me enrolled in a class in a burb of Chicago. It was an escape from all the work issues- backorders, personnel problems, new products or new procedures on the manufacturing line. I became addicted to throwing on the wheel & when I retired from corporate at 50 my husband & i moved to Tennessee & built a house & studio. The house is 1500 sq ft but the studio is 2000 sq ft & that doesn’t include the garage I converted to a gallery, the kiln shed or the storage shed for clay & in process work. At first, I gave my pots away, but when people started saying ” Lee, we would love to have you for dinner, but we don’t need any more pottery” it was either find a place to sell them or find a landfill. The woman I was taking classes with got me in my first art fair. When people were willing to give me money for pots I couldn’t give away, my eyes were opened to possibilities. So, I applied to more & more prestigious art fairs & got accepted to most of them. I won a few “best of show” awards & sold a bunch of pottery. Doing art fairs is a lot of work & carrying all the pots from show to show & packing them up got to be too much. I found selling wholesale to galleries was a nice alternative. I still got to make lots of pottery but only had to pack them once to the gallery. I’m in about 100 galleries all over the US. I may be retired from corporate but i spend 6-10 hours a day making pots. I love it! When i wake in the morning I look forward to working in the studio.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s never been smooth but always been fun.
The art fairs are hard to get into. They are juried from photos you or a professional take of your work. Sometimes you have to apply to more than one show for a scheduled weekend because you are not sure if you will get into that big one with the good clientele & high sales expectations.
Learning how to mix & formulate new glaze colors is challenging even for an engineer. The chemicals sometimes are no longer available & a new source must be found, tested & approved. I’m glad I had to take many chemistry classes on the way to my degree.
I was responsible for over $1,000,000 in spending in my corporate role but setting up all the financials for my own business was a whole new adventure.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I make functional pottery from porcelain clay. And by functional, I mean it is food safe & goes in the microwave & dishwasher. Otherwise from my perspective it better be disposable. My pottery is fired to 2350F which makes it so functional.
I fire in a gas kiln that provides a reduction atmosphere. That means there is not enough air in the kiln to keep the gas burning so the fire has to pull oxygen molecules from the oxides I put in the glaze. So, I can a green copper oxide to turn a bright red when fired in this atmosphere. Or a Yellow from iron oxide. Or a black from manganese.
I am most proud of being able to have a passion that allows me to make pottery that I love and that other people want o own.
My pottery is functional. In order to sell it at a price that means people will use it & not panic if it is broken, I have to use my engineering & corporate background to develop a process that keeps costs under control. Some of my peers think I sell way to low but I want People to USE my pottery not sit it on the mantel.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I’m an old fart so apps, podcasts & blogs are not part of my repertoire. I do use Facebook for advertising when i have an open house. Indieme.com is a platform that I use to obtain wholesale orders.
I learned how to throw & fire pottery at an independent studio in Chicago. It has since moved to Antioch Il. and the owner – Jill Tortorella is still active teaching & attending world famous art fairs.
favorite books are
Clay & Glazes for the Potter by Daniel Rhodes
Complete Guide to High Fire Glazes by John Britt
Pricing:
- mugs – $30
- Rice/ramen bows – $30
- large textured bowls – $100
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.silverridgepottery.com
- Facebook: Silver Ridge Pottery on Facebook
