Fine Mess Pottery

I usually do The Week of Reflection between Christmas and New Year's, a favorite stretch of time for me, but this year I just wasn't...

  The craft of pottery ties us to our history, in part because the material is so durable. Pieces of the objects themselves survive, giving ...

I have most of the month of December off from teaching my classes at Portland Pottery. It's great, and it's not; I don't get pai...

 Yesterday was my friend's annual Christmas Cookie Decorating party. This is right in my wheelhouse, as royal icing cookies are a hobby ...

I was hoping I'd have enough pots to fire this week & then again next week; as usual I am surprised by the capacity of this kiln. Bu...

Though I am mostly a functional potter, I occasionally make little animals - mainly cats, bears, and rabbits - and I do teach a handbuilding...

  In fashionable households in 18th century France, it was common to see serving dishes made to appear like whatever they were meant to serv...

 I get a lot of questions about how soda firing works. It's pretty simple, really: when the kiln reaches ^9, I spray a mixture of baking...

So, you might have noticed that I'm a goofball. I used to try to pretend I'm not, that I am in fact a very serious artiste making v...

I unloaded a great firing last week, so I'm super excited to update the shop this time. I've got mugs & sippers, a serving bowl...

  Technically, of course, there's no reason why raku season has to wind down; You can raku all winter, if you want. I don't want! I...

 Just because I haven't done one in a while, and this was an especially nice firing. Note to self: 500 grams soda ash, 600 grams baking ...