For as long as humans have been creating useful things from clay, we have been embellishing and "en-spiriting" these objects as a form of communication. These non-literal messages speak to us on an emotional level. More simply said, beauty moves us.

My mother found her passion for potting when I was young. Thanks to her, from an early age I lived with pots handmade by many different potters. As a young adult there was nothing I wanted to do more than follow along the same path, and so I did.

Constant innovation keeps what I do from becoming repetitive, even when I am repeating forms. This liveliness comes through the clay, and finds its way into homes where it enhances the daily rituals of the people that use my pottery.

This highfired, durable pottery is safe for use in microwave and dishwasher, as well as oven, provided your piece is allowed to pre-heat with the oven.

Fireside Pottery
478 Camden Rd
Warren ME 04864
nancyb@midcoast.net
firesidepottery.com

It was late in the summer of 1987 that I first moved to Maine, and I’ve been happy to call it home ever since. Living first in Portland’s west end, then meeting house hill in South Portland, and for several years at the edge of a small farm in Lyman, I feel like I’ve experienced many aspects of life this beautiful state has to offer. I’ve also been lucky enough to have worked at Maine College of Art and Design since the early 1990s, which keeps me energized, and exposed to art in all its forms. My clay work is inspired by the natural world, and I draw influences from plants, trees, flowers and fruits, as well as the beauty of certain insects and “creepycrawlies.”

My functional stoneware is fired in a large electric kiln, which preserves the bright and vivid colors of my signature glazes. The work is durable, non-toxic, and safe for use in the oven, microwave or dishwasher, provided sudden temperature changes are avoided. Enjoy!

Braveheart Clayworks
18 Jeffrey St.
Lewiston, ME 04240.
cathrynhammond02@gmail.com

Since 1970 I've been hooked on the magic of taking a lump of earth, "pulling" it into a cylinder and shaping it into a vessel on the potters wheel. I strive to make functional pots that work well and feel good to use. The clay itself inspires my forms, which change slightly with each throwing cycle, becoming clearer and bolder like a photo coming into focus. My inscribed and brushwork decorations are based on the patterns left in the sand by the receding tide.

Handmade pottery is not silent; it has a presence that comes from the soul of the potter. Hold my pots and feel the marks my hands have left on the clay. Use my pots and connect to something real: the maker and the tradition of craft, to me and my life on the shore of Casco Bay.

My pottery is microwave and dishwasher safe, but should not go directly from the refrigerator to the oven to avoid thermal shock.

Ash Cove Pottery
75 Ash Cove Rd
Harpswell, ME 04079 
207-833-6004
susan@ashcovepottery.com
ashcovepottery.com

I have been a full-time, woodfiring studio potter since I designed and built my kiln in Swanville, ME in 1997. I studied ceramics through a two year apprenticeship with National Living Treasure, Jun Isezaki in Bizen, Japan in 1994-1995.

The kiln holds approximately 800 pieces and I fire twice a year. The kiln is stoked with wood 24 hours a day by a crew of potters for eight days. By the eighth day, we reach a temperature of 2350 degrees throughout the kiln and it is left to cool for another week before opening. I enjoy the rhythm of the spring and fall firings and the long stretches of making pots in between. The connection and camaraderie that I have with the community of potters that gather for firings is a great part of my family's life and something that we look forward to all year.

Most of the pots are loaded into the kiln unglazed. The unique surfaces of the pots are a result of the interaction of the clay, the path of the flame as it makes its way through the stacks of the strong cross draft kiln, and the accumulated and melted wood ash. Results are controllable only to a point. My expectations are sometimes fulfilled, but sometimes wildly surpassed. Each pot is unique, telling its own story of where and how it was fired.

Jody Johnstone Pottery
135 Webster Rd.
Swanville, ME 04915
(207) 338-5314
jody@jodyjohnstonepottery.com
www.jodyjohnstonepottery.com

I have always been interested in artifacts, in ancient historical records, symbols on bowls, marks on tablets, the very earliest impulses to put our 'prints on the sands of time,' to decorate the implements of necessity, and thereby to create magic in their use. Placing marks on a surface feels like a profound act of humanity. My pots are usually begun on the wheel. The round pots are then altered and/or carved. Contrasting slips are often applied, and these surfaces are then drawn on, carved or otherwise manipulated. The pots are then usually bisque-fired, and partially or fully glazed with wood-ash or traditional shino- and celadon-type glazes.

I enjoy the interplay of glazed and raw clay, and the subtle changes in light reflectivity and color variation that come from the sliding and pooling of ash glazes and atmospheric traces over manipulated surfaces. To me, the sheer joy of experimenting and refining-and then, committing a piece to the mystery of the fire-is a consuming passion. The fact that beautiful and useful objects result from this process is an amazing gift. It is my hope that the vessels I make will bring healing energy and joy to those who choose to live with them.

The pots are fired to cone 10 (2350 ?F). Unless specially noted, you can assume that they are vitreous, food-safe, oven-safe and dishwasher-safe. Treat them well, and do not shock or drop them, and they should give many years of pleasurable service.

Prescott Hill Pottery
261 Prescott Hill Rd.
Liberty, ME 04949
(207) 323-2479
betsylevineep@gmail.com
prescotthillstudios.com

David Orser is one half of Cedar Mountain Potters, the husband and wife team of Laurel MacDuffie and David. They have been working in their studio at their 1800’s era farm in Parsonsfield, Maine since 1999.

His work is hand thrown or hand built using stoneware and porcelain clays and uses gas fired, reduction and salt kilns. These pieces are often glazed with local clay, wood ash, and other traditional glazes. He also regularly participates with a group of potters in the firing of a Japanese styled, anagama wood-fire kiln.

David has been making pottery and sculpture for more than thirty years. He received his Master of Fine Arts degree at Cranbrook Art Academy. His work has been exhibited nationally and is in private and museum collections.

His wares are dishwasher and microwave safe. Not meant for conventional oven use. Preheat with hot tap water before using boiling water.

Cedar Mountain Potters
Parsonsfield, Maine
cdrmtn@myfairpoint.net
cedarmountainpotters.com

Robbi has been working with clay since she was 13, having been inspired at a demonstration given by a wonderful potter under a tent at a craft fair! This clay obsession led to art school and then to her own studio in the Ell of her 200 year old farm house.

She loves to work in stoneware clay and makes pieces that are both fun and functional. Her work reflects all the years of living and working on a small farm in both New Hampshire and later in her present home of Windsor, Maine where she is constantly inspired by the animals around her on her farm and in the surrounding country side.

Robbi decorates her stoneware pottery with a variety of brightly painted whimsical farm animals and wild creatures, from Hedgehogs to Ravens. She hopes that these pieces bring happiness to your life!

Maple Lane Pottery is made of a durable stoneware clay suitable for use in the oven, microwave and dishwasher. As with all pottery, avoid shocks of extreme changes in temperature.

Maple Lane Pottery
36 Greeley Road
Windsor, Maine 04363
(207) 480-0398
Instagram - Facebook - Etsy
robbi.portela@gmail.com
maplelanepottery.blogspot.com

From humble beginnings renting space in a friend’s barn to set up her kiln and wheel, Mary Kay Spencer has been a working potter and ceramic artist for more than 35 years.

Mary Kay believes in putting the “FUN” in her functional wares. Taking inspiration from walks in nature and time spent in her garden, Mary Kay treats each piece of her pottery as a canvas, using a rich palette of colorful glazes and a fine hand to render watercolor style, impressionistic paintings on clay. These joyfully produced, individually hand painted works are intended to bring a smile or evoke a happy memory. Her garden series of pottery is available on a wide range of items.

In addition to creating her garden pottery, Mary Kay’s work as an artist continues to evolve. Her current work uses bold color and oxides to create pieces that incorporate digital photographs and decal work into her traditional pottery, mixing classic organic forms and shapes with modern lines and rich details achieved through an inventive manipulation of images and patterns.

This high fired stoneware clay is microwave, dishwasher, and oven safe.

The Potter’s House
Bowdoin, Maine
(207) 713-4248
thrownpottery9@gmail.com
thepottershouse.com

My pottery is made by my hands alone, using few hand tools. I work without the wheel for the tactile experience and the shapes that come from the clay's response to my hands. I use the pinch method, supplemented by coil and slab techniques.

My work is meant to stimulate the imagination and sense of fantasy while giving a sense of connection to nature. It reflects the textures and colors of sand and stone, the colors of earth and sky, and the forms of leaves, gourds, shells and seed pods. This work does not represent specific objects in nature, but reminds us of the natural world, which nurtures and supports us.

High fired stoneware, this pottery is meant to be used. It is dishwasher safe, microwave and oven use are not recommended. Teapots should be pre-heated with hot water before boiling water is poured in to brew tea.

Barbara Walch Pottery 
33 Knox Station Rd.
Thorndike, ME 04986
207-568-3736
barbarawalchpottery.com

I am a ceramic artist living and working in South Portland. As a lifelong Mainer I spent the seasons watching the changes in the landscapes, the sea, and always have had a connection with the earth. I spent my formative years living on a small farm in Vassalboro, where I collected eggs from our chickens, patted the neighbor’s cows, climbed trees, and went swimming in nearby lakes.

I fondly remembers making crafts at the kitchen table with my mother, paints, glue, needle and thread, paper and pictures spread before them. These are the roots of my artistic life. These experiences later influenced my work with clay and focus on ceramic art in schooling. The colors and lines of Maine landscapes, the ocean and skylines have always been an inspiration with my art.

I’ve been a professional potter for over 25 years. In 2016 I took the leap and left teaching art to children to become a full time potter. I love to travel and enjoy a book on the beach, a delicious meal with family and precious time on the couch with my two cats. My husband and I enjoy canoeing, and being near the water where I love to draw in my sketchbook, look at birds through my binoculars, or sit in quiet.

Becky Pottery
South Portland, Maine
Instagram
hello@beckypottery.com
beckypottery.com