She put an ad in a local newspaper and people started coming . Summers were devoted to teaching pottery to local kids . Jennifer would run week-long programs with 12 youngsters at a time . “ Kids are so creative and supportive of each other … all working on their own things , interpreting each assignment differently . It was a blast actually ,” she recalls . The joy of teaching is still alive and well in Jennifer ’ s light-filled studio these days ; she offers classes to the public from time to time or custom classes for a group of friends .
Today , there is a significant construction aspect to Jennifer ’ s pottery . Often it ’ s a combination of the pottery wheel and hand building , allowing for more opportunity to create intriguing organic textures and forms . “ I love the wheel but it ’ s just one tool in the room .”
Captivated by the hand building process , she spends much of her time there . There is a greater dimension of creativity at play when the clay in her hands is transformed into stunning pieces with their strong sculptural aspects and complementary glazes , inspired by the pastoral beauty just outside her studio door .
“ I want my textures to still be seen under the glaze ,” asserts Jennifer . It ’ s a delicate balance to insure the drama of the glaze doesn ’ t take away from the deep textures that are pressed into the clay .
“ The clay has a skin and I feel like that has to be revealed . So if I just put a beautiful glaze on top of it , it could cover up what it is that ’ s there . So I ’ m working first with the texture of the clay and its surface ... and really the story that the clay tells in the process of building the piece ,” explains Jennifer .
Mastery in this medium is hard fought and Jennifer , like all masterful artists , is always experimenting . Making the forms is only part of the challenge . “ The glaze is only going to do so much . I can say this piece would be great with a beautiful white finish , but is it a white satin , a white matte , and can I even be sure the texture is a going to be white when it comes out of the kiln ?”
The clay , too , can also only do so much , and then there is the chemistry aspect , especially when it relates to specific color choices produced by the glazes , and how the glazes in a sense dance with the textures . “ I am continually learning about the technical aspects of the glazing and firing pro-
cesses . Trying to achieve the right color and surface quality through the glaze and firings , can feel very mysterious . Even with testing and careful note taking , firings are rarely completely predictable .”
Colors and surfaces can still come out unexpectedly , and technical problems like pinholing in the glaze or crazing ( unintentional fine cracks ) may appear . “ I have learned not to expect complete success from any kiln load , but when things do work out , it feels like magic . Those are the successes that keep you going ,” says Jennifer .
Clearly , there ’ s a real science to the art of ceramics and it can it take years to even begin to understand how it all works . Ultimately and with patience , the alchemy of the artist ’ s vulnerability , intuition and creativity that go into each piece , emerge fully expressed from earth , water , the artist ’ s hands , and the play of fire in the kiln .
“ There have to be things that people connect to about your art … some kind of appeal . When you find that people do relate to new pieces once you have put them out in the market , it tells you you ’ re on the right track . And there ’ s always a new idea . I will tell people who have been coming to my studio that I have no idea what new direction my pottery will take , I just know there will be something new . There will always be an idea to spark the next thing ! This is where passion and confidence comes together for the life path of the artist ,” says Jennifer .
Dusty Road Pottery ’ s studio and pottery shop ( dustyroadpottery . com ) will be on the Countryside Artisans Tour , April 21- 23 . www . countrysideartisans . com
18 plenty I spring sowing 2023