I have always loved pottery.  Pottery was an affordable art and something that would make the dining table feel special or add interest to flowers.   When the opportunity came to actually learn how to make something out of clay, I was thrilled!  Little did I know how challenging learning this art form would be.   I am still learning, but I am hooked!  I just can’t resist getting my hands on that clay.  I am sure that I will be learning for many years to come.

It gives me great pleasure to now make affordable art for others to use and enjoy.

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The need to create has always been a very important part of my life.  Surroundings that are welcoming and comfortable are very soothing to me.  Pottery is the perfect creative outlet to compliment all the things I love… gardening, cooking, decorating and just making a house a home. 

I come from a very active family of men – who love to race motocross and bikes.  In 2001, I realized that I needed to find something to do while they were off racing… and decided to take a pottery class at Clayworks.  It was such a blessing to me!  I loved it so much and became a member of Clayworks in December of 2003.  I also teach students and I love to see them get excited about this craft.  I am always amazed at what the students decide to create --- and I love their ingenuity!!! 

Pottery takes me back to a quieter time – a time of simplicity and purpose.  I hope that my pieces remind people to slow down and appreciate a good cup of coffee or a steaming bowl of soup, while using a piece of my pottery – and take time to enjoy the entire experience.

To learn more about Laurie's pottery, click here. 

My background with clay happened because I needed to express myself with a medium that would allow me to use a hands-on approach.  Having started with lamp worked glass beads and continuing on with fused glass, I soon realized this medium did not allow for the direct use of my hands on the finished piece.  In my drive for creativity, I searched the internet to locate instructions for the making of pottery.  I did not realize what a terrific hold this would take on my life. 

I took my first class in January of 2004 and became totally hooked which led to becoming a member of Clayworks Pottery Studio in 2006.  Inspiration for new pieces have come about from conversations with customers, relatives, and friends because of their needs, wants and desires.   I even dream about creating pottery and what effect different glazes would have on the pieces.  My goal is to create pottery that is functional and/or unique.  My work has been shown at craft shows in various small towns including Eaton Rapids, with the Clayworks pottery show in Lansing and at the studio in Wacousta.

Currently, I am sharing what I love doing by teaching (and assisting others in teaching) the techniques of creating pottery by not only throwing on the wheel but with hand-building too.

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Having started with Clayworks in 1998 to relieve stress, I grew to love making pottery.  Clayworks had been a co­operative studio for about a year at that time.  

Although I don’t consider myself an artist, I believe that I am a creative person.

Having admired pottery done by others for many years, I decided to take a class at Clayworks in 2004.   I immediately knew that I had found a niche for some of my artistic talents and took several more classes.  Eventually, I applied for membership and was accepted as a member of the Claywork's Pottery Cooperative.

I became inspired and influenced by many different members at Clayworks.  Many of the members have very unique skills in either working on the wheel, hand building and/or other forms of artistic expressions in clay.

There is a unique and exciting feeling in making a work of art-- starting with a lump of clay.  Creating a piece of art on the pottery wheel is just the beginning of that piece's journey.   It must still be dried, bisque fired, glazed and fired again.  There's a special satisfaction in seeing one's piece of art from beginning to end.

I tend to like functional pieces of pottery, pieces that can be used by the owner in one fashion or another.  I also tend to like Shaker inspiredpieces that are simplistic in their design.  I enjoy creating potterythat can bring some artistic value to everyday use.  However, as I've become a more experienced potter, I've also created some pieces solely for their artistic value.   I hope to continue making both functional and artistic pieces in the future.

I am constantly inspired when I look around myself, at everything and anything, I consider how to render it… how can I recreate it, make it differently, improve the design, change a feature.  I fall asleep every night dreaming of design ideas and how to make them.  There are just not enough hours in a day!

When I took Ceramics 101 in college I thought, “Yes! I love this!”, but then promptly followed a tortuous path… which included a career in agricultural research, the design and construction of a timber frame house, a part-time stained glass business and two sets of twins.  Now that I am semi-retired, I have the opportunity to once again explore clay.  

My ultimate artistic goal is to combine everything I’ve worked with and learned about, including clay, glass, carpentry, welding and textiles into??? … Who knows?  Right now, it’s the path to whatever that THING is, that I am having a blast with!

In 1964, I started with ceramics (painting glazes on bisque ware ) and discovered that I didn’t care for it.  A Friend talked me into taking a night class in 1966 where I mainly did hand building as there were ten students in the class and only one wheel.  

I continued taking classes off and on for several years. For two years, I was a visiting potter at the Potters Guild of Lansing and took some of the offered classes/workshops.  I was fortunate to take weekend workshops with Robin Hopper, Warren McKenzie, Pamela Timmons, Paul Soldner and Jim Reinert   I also took a workshop with Jeff Osterick through the Ann Arbor Potters Guild.  Another area of taking a workshop was through Pewabic in Detroit.

In 1994, I became a founding member of Clayworks.

I like making decorative, functional pieces.  Wheel throwing is my preference and I continue to incorporate hand building along with the wheel throwing where I especially enjoy making sets of small bowls on the wheel.  I am inspired by nature such as leaves, grasses, weeds to make prints, vases , etc. such as wall plaques like “Spirit of the Woods”.

My interest in pottery began as a collector of Antique pots.

Fascinated by their beauty, my personal journey in clay began in Sept 2010 when I became a student at Clayworks.

My emphasis with clay is directed toward creating wheel-thrown functional pots for home and garden. I love to take a lump of clay and mold it into something of beauty, which feels a little bit like what God must feel with each of us.

This journey of creativity is both challenging and exciting.

Where my passion for clay is taking me I am not sure, but one thing is sure… I am enjoying it along the way.

I took my first pottery class in January of 2010 and I have been hooked ever since. I keep the first pot I made on a shelf - a heavy misshapen bowl - to remind me of where I started. 

Right now I work mostly in stoneware but I also have a love of porcelain. I love the creaminess of porcelain and how it just keeps stretching and stretching it you coax it. I also love the rich, warm finish of porcelain when fired in a wood kiln. 

Almost all my work is functional. I want people to be able to interact with the pieces I make, to make it part of their lives.

Me like mud!  That’s all there is to it.   I have no agendas, nothing important to say, or any inner vision or wisdom to express.  I want the things I make with clay to make me smile, and maybe you, too, will smile when you see them.

I enjoy clay when it is malleable.  After clay dries, I lose interest.  I find wood fire to be the most appealing process, since the ash does the glazing for me.  Sometimes if you are lucky, magic happens and the piece emerges from the kiln with a surface that is particularly interesting.

I have neither formal training nor any education or background in art.  I took a few classes at Clayworks, and quickly found the wheel was of no interest to me.  Fortunately for me, the supportive, atmosphere at Clayworks encouraged me to explore other clay techniques until I found what I enjoyed.  I’ve been creating in clay since about 2006.  The many demands on my life allow time for creation of only a few pieces each year.

Working with clay puts me in touch with one of our world’s oldest art forms. Recently I travelled to China and saw clay structures and a wood kiln that is 6,000 years old. As in the distant past, clay molds easily whether utilitarian or artful, and when completed it takes a solid shape allowing me to share my creative expressions. I’ve dabbled in other art forms including sketching, painting, and quilting.

My creations are usually utilitarian including pie plates, mugs, tumblers, bowls, vases, lidded vessels, dishes and more.  Creating pie plates was my reason for starting pottery. I often carve or paint on pots. My greatest joy is helping my grandchildren create their pots; I provide the wet pot and then my grandchildren carve and paint on the pot giving it their unique expression.  I use a variety of clays: dark clay, light clay, porcelain or a combination of clay bodies. I have primarily fired in an electric kiln, but have also fired in gas, wood, and raku kilns.   

I have been creating pottery since 2008 and I’ve been a member of Clayworks Pottery Studio since 2011.

My love for pottery originated as I grew up in Wisconsin in an area rich with hand-thrown pottery.  Having been a long-time admirer, I dabbled briefly (one semester class) in claywork while attending UW-Stout.  

Hands-on participation took a lengthy break, but admiration and study of the art of pottery continued until the Summer of 2007.  At that time, I reignited my active participation in claywork by enrolling in a class at the Greater Lansing Potters Guild (GLPG).  I quickly became addicted to the wheel and intrigued by the wonder of reduction firing.  I attribute my strong grounding in pottery technique to the outstanding instructors I had the opportunity to study under at the GLPG.  Most of my work is functional ware; and they instilled in me an attention to the blending of form and function.  

By the Summer of 2009 I had reached the maximum number of classes I could take at the GLPG, so I began to explore additional options for continuing my claywork.  During that summer I took classes both at the GLPG and at Clayworks Pottery in Wacousta, Michigan.  By the fall of 2009, I applied and was accepted into membership at Clayworks.  

While at Clayworks I have had the opportunity to assist in the building and firing of a Wood Kiln.  Although I remain impressed by the reduction firings in a gas kiln, most of my recent work has been wood fired.  The entire wood fire experience is very invigorating.  I find the earthy, natural, organic results from a wood firing to be beyond compare!.

I enjoy making pots!

I started as a student at Clayworks in 2009, and became a member in 2012.

I have always loved the look of pottery, but never imagined that I would be able to make it.  After my first class I was hooked!  To be able to take a piece of clay and create something pretty, functional and abstract all intrigued me.  I began to see everything as a possibility.

Plates, bowls, pots, yard decorations… I want to try it all, and will in time!

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I started my involvement with pottery many years ago – when Clayworks was located in Lansing on US-

27.  It really inspires me and allows me to be creative.  

I love to do functional ware, but I also like to have fun with whimsical pieces.  Nature is truly my 

inspiration and gives me countless ideas.  

Working in a co-op really inspires me!    Being around other people and artists gives me so many ideas!  I 

love to throw pots, and really like incorporating a bit of hand building into my pieces as well. 

I have always been drawn to pottery – and plan on continuing to make it a large part of my life!

“Every artist was first an amateur.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

I was glad to read these words because I am in the early stage of my experience as an artist.  I started taking classes in pottery in 2009, shortly before I retired from a technical career that was highly specific.  Pottery offered an avenue to help me develop a richer sense of artistry and creativity.  I have learned there is no limit to expression in pottery. 

The process of wood firing soon captured my interest with its history and community building.  I like that it takes a decision to enter the commitment of time and work involved in this traditional art.  The striking result is lovely simplicity of form and warm earthiness of color.  Having lived in Asia, I feel a special affection for this ancient art.  (While visiting China, I was delighted by a potter who referred to his “Japanese Wood Fired CeramTheics” by Kusakabe and Lancet, just like mine, only written in Chinese!)  I like to think of others enjoying the specialness of my wood fired pieces.  Each wood fire has its unique features, and the ongoing challenge of striving for improvement and consistency is exciting and rewarding.

I am aiming for functionality, simplicity, integration of texture, and inspiring a good relationship of color to my pieces.   I like to see and use my pieces in my home, and have enjoyed creating gifts for others.  The quiet rhythm and concentration of working with a wheel is a therapy to me.  My thoughts are integrated into the physical task of creating something pleasing from a part of the earth.  I eagerly look forward to exploring more and more in the art of pottery.

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I first picked up pottery in 2008, and found that it was a great way to relax while creating something useful. Most of my work is functional, though there are certainly aspects that are simply pretty to look at.

I tend toward botanical or nature inspired themes, though I prefer brighter colors not necessarily associated with traditional pottery. I also prefer to work with un-grogged clay, so it's mostly porcelain. There is something soft and luminous about porcelain that always draws my eye and entices me to pick it up. 

I am working more on decoration and texture these days, though pottery will always be a constant learning experience no matter how long I work at it. 

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As an author and mixed media artist, I am often somewhere between inertia and deadline. However, performing as a clay artist teaches me patience. Creativity requires slowing to the pace of life. Creative inspiration has pervaded my life since childhood, when my talented mother and aunt took me under their wings with ceramics and painting, fiber arts, metals, and woodworking taught to adult extension members. I also garden and create dollhouse miniatures for decorating. With increasing frequency, friends who are artisans are designing specialized courses with my projects in mind. As a result, I try to integrate several techniques when time allows.

Initially I returned to high-fire clay art to reinvent handmade, quick-firing clay ornaments into porcelain, and to personify story characters to illustrate my writing. This journey began decades ago while studying ceramics to balance life and career with college. Later, after a European folk arts study, my career escalated and evaporated free time, so I set clay aside to concentrate on work travel commitments. Finally, an early retirement finds me amid creative revival. Studio membership provides a motivating opportunity for growth among talented artists, where I often create functional and figurative art.

I love sharing exploration. Different clay techniques and firing methods can yield ‘special effects’ as surprising as those of various paints in their palette. Moreover, working with clay can be a Zen experience; it gives an almost meditative connection with whatever functional form reveals itself within a fistful of earth. My own interest lies mainly in creating unique, one-of-a-kind artwork that stirs a heartstring much the way a painting touches a soul, reminding people to relax, dream a little, connect to the world on a spiritual level, and let the wonder begin…

I have enjoyed pottery for many years and even wrote a poem once from the perspective of the pot. However, I began doing potting with a class at ClayWorks in the fall of 2019. When COVID started in 2020, the way I could continue was to join the co-op. I enjoy learning from other members and enjoy trying to extend my reach as a hobby potter. I enjoy making things that other people request and that often helps me stretch my own work beyond what I could do before. Mistakes help my learning and letting go of the outcome of each step in the process of making a piece of ceramics teaches needed patience.

My journey in clay began when Clayworks first opened their door for classes in 1996.  Learning to use the pottery wheel had been something I wanted to learn since my high school days.  I signed on as a student not realizing how the many aspects of working with clay would feed my creative self.  As a student, it wasn’t just the clay that sparked my interest, it was the many aspects, glazes and glaze making, and firing that captured my interest.  After taking several classes with Clayworks I realized that this was a hobby I needed in my life for more than just a couple times a week, and signed on as a member of this group of like-minded people.

I have dabbled in many forms of artwork during my life, photography, leather tooling, painting and drawing, but have found working with clay to be the most fulfilling.  I have found throwing bowls, not only to be the most fulfilling to create, but I also consider the bowl to be a rich metaphor for life. 

It is said that in the Zen Buddhist tradition, a monk starts out each day with an empty bowl in his hands and whatever is placed in the bowl will be his nourishment for the day.  Each day is a fresh start.  This bowl is a rich metaphor for life.  Is my bowl full?  Is it overflowing?  Is there room for anything new to come in?  When working with clay I find myself guided by the image of a bowl……………..A begging bowl.

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I have enjoyed creating functional as well as non-functional ware since 2001.  Throwing on the wheel, hand-building and altering thrown forms are techniques I am particularly interested in.  I am also excited with my raku, horsehair, pit, barrel and wood fire results.

I draw inspiration from many other art forms such as art glass, historical wood and stone carvings, antique architectural forms, as well as the textile arts.  I am always observing my environment for texture and pattern ideas, whether in an antique mall or paddling down a river.

Most recently I have been exploring the more sculptural aspects of clay, drawing inspiration from dream experiences--- giving me a connection to my work on a more spiritual level.  I hope to continue to grow in this area of my art.

December 5, 2010

Clayworks lost a valued, talented and dedicated member from its’ artistic family, Paulette Harris.  During the more than 12 years as a Clayworks member, Paulette was a tireless contributor to the organization’s growth and operation.  She was also a gifted potter who generously shared her knowledge and creative spirit with students and colleagues alike.  She was additionally active on the Clayworks board as both treasurer and president, regularly taught student classes, as well as organized and presented numerous workshops and special events for Clayworks members.

Paulette was skilled at blending her interest in pottery with her passions in life, including her love of family and friends, travel, music, hiking, kayaking, camping and all things out-of-doors.  She consistently challenged herself to grow as an artist and experienced life to its fullest.

Paulette will be greatly missed by the many people whose lives she touched.  Her energy, generous and caring spirit, and zest for life are an enduring legacy of a life well-lived. Godspeed Paulette!

I have been fascinated by drawing, painting and making things ever since I could hold a crayon and realized it made pretty scribbles.

This led me eventually to MSU, where I acquired a B.A. in studio art, a K-12 teaching certificate and a life-long love for working in clay.

Clay is such a magically creative medium. There is no limit to what can be done with it. From preserving a glaze painting or a baby's tiny handprint on a tile, to making traditional (and untraditional!) pots on the wheel, to sculpting anything you can image... Clay does it all!

I love the excitement and unpredictability of this medium.

Clayworks Studio is also full of so many wonderful members and students to share it with.

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Aug 3, 1928 to June 10, 2007

Longtime member of Clayworks, remembered for his creative and artistic talent displayed in his whimsical characters and great detail incorporated in his work.

Dec. 16, 1922 - July 19, 2008

Longtime member of Clayworks, remembered for her love and knowledge of the pit firing process and her ability to see beauty and spirit in what others viewed as imperfect "Wabi, Sabi."