Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Potter.
Hi Amy, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I moved to Middle Tennessee In 1996 to home school my kids and to be an artist. In the beginning, I milked cows, operated a second hand store, and wrote short stories.
Apprenticeships with local functional ceramic artists Susan DeMay and Marilee Hall were my introduction and education in clay. Both women shared their process of making and also their business practices with me, encouraging me to start my own business.
I started as a potter, making dinnerware. Slowly the bulk of my work has become architectural. Now, I mostly make tile and vessel sinks, as well as pickling crocks, and still some tableware and ceremonial vessels. My business encompasses design of space, manufacture of ceramic elements, and full scale installation of tile and sinks.
My kids are grown, they both have their own lives and work, but also play important roles in my business, as occasional studio assistant and installer.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I have enjoyed slow steady growth since my beginnings.
I started out in a garage with a gravel floor (20 years ago). About four years ago I built a beautiful shop next to my house on a concrete pad. That gave me the ability to make and slowly dry much more work at once.
My kilns used to be very small and very manual. I remember sleeping outside in a hammock, waking up every 30 minutes to adjust my kiln. Now the kiln is large and computer controlled, and I get to sleep all night.
So many times, I said to myself, “if this doesn’t work out: I quit” about a kiln that kept breaking, or a process that kept glitching, or a glaze that kept crawling, or a design that looked nothing unloaded from the kiln than it did in my expectations. But truthfully, the kindness and encouragement from my patient clients kept me trying again. I imagined myself giving up and getting a job at a box store and wearing the ubiquitous orange apron…but I kept finding a way to stay hopeful about unloading the next kiln. Also, the flexibility of staying self-employed allowed me to home school the kids and work around their schedules and needs, despite a world full of pressure to make more money and achieve career goals.
As a ceramic artist, I have had some of the most amazing clients. People who really believed in my work’s ability to improve their living and working spaces invested in me and gave me the courage to keep making work: refining my processes and growing toward their light.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I make cone 6 stoneware, architectural ceramic art. A large variety of designs, colors, and techniques keep my work and the spaces that I create interesting. I make backsplashes for kitchens, waterproof surrounds for tub enclosures, walk in showers, bathroom walls. Outdoor living and working areas are also great candidates for architectural ceramic art. Tableware is functional and food-safe, also microwave and dishwasher safe.
My favorite part of my work is sitting in a space with a client and talking about what inspires them. Then, translating that into a design that is executable in clay improves the spaces where they spend most of their time. This process can take months, and is worth it. This intuitive process is fun and exciting.
An idea starts as a spark, and it is the process of slowly making, moulding, brushstroking, and firing that crystalizes the idea into daily inspiration for the user. The living and working space becomes a source of constant reminder to them of what is important and beautiful. So something as simple as the design of a kitchen or bathroom uplifts spirits and generates a lifetime of motivation and satisfaction. Their space is uniquely theirs, and speaks directly to them, bringing that original spark back to the mundane activities of domestic or work life.
Designs can be very simple or complex. They can stand alone or incorporate natural stone, wood, metal: any other natural material and artistry. They can work around existing features or be a part of a dramatic overhaul.
Unlike surfaces that can be purchased from any commercial source, my work is always unique and timeless. Fad and fashion quickly become obsolete, style is forever.
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
Stay focused on the creative solution, and you can find opportunities and inspiration anywhere.
Pricing:
- Tile design and manufacture is priced at $175 per square foot
- Vessel sinks usually cost $350
- Designer crocks for home fermentation cost from $135-350 depending on size and design
- Tableware is offered at a discount for people ordering multiples and sets
- All work is made to order, a 1/3 deposit gets me started and the remainder is due upon delivery
Contact Info:
- Email: greenpasturesceramics@gmail.com
- Website: www.amypotter.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amypotterceramics/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AmyPotterCeramics
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUNAUtWANWSngwhsV5KZkiQ
Image Credits:
Amy Potter
