Paradox Pottery

We are a husband and wife team who maintain a full-time studio in the mountains of Western North Carolina. The current direction in our pottery is in exploring the primitive and mysterious act of creativity, to strip away all the trappings of the modern world and return to the basic elements of fire, earth, water and air. Our influences are not from the outside, but come from within.

The relation of pattern and form is important in each of our pieces. Our shapes come from an ancient and universal family of rounded forms. By applying the process of exploration and refinement to these froms, we are essentially exploring their mystery and meaning through the ritual of their creation.

Using patterns, we organize the random and chaotic pit-firing markings to achieve a strong unity of form and surface. The patterns are created by wax resist and the crystallization of salt and soda on the surface and are intended to evoke images of an evolving planet. These patterns are sometimes mathematical, sometimes emotional, but always drawn from within. Our vessels are made from a natural, unrefined yellow clay. This clay, plus our unique firing process are responsible for the earthy and distinctive coloration of our pots. The colors allude to age.

Each piece is wheel-thrown, burnished and then coated with terra sigillata. After bisque firing, the patterns are created with a resist and the vessel is fired in a raku kiln to 1400° F; they are then placed red-hot in sawdust where the actual pit firing takes place. The larger pieces are fired individually; the smaller pieces are fired in groups of two or three. The sawdust, size of the pots, composition of the resist and weather conditions all play an important part in the final surface image. With so many variables at work, each pot achieves a uniqueness that is impossible to duplicate.