Koeman, Sheila
Krueger, Janet
Toadworks
Kuilema, Mary
Kuilema Pottery
616.717.2421
616.285.1137
5519 Ranger Hills Drive SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
LaBay, Dorothy
McHenry, Susan
Empty Vessel Pottery
smchenry@emptyvesselpottery.com
269.267.1072
6580 Rose Arbour Ave.
Kalamazoo, MI 49009
My goal in making functional red earthenware pots is to create expressive and lively forms, and I take this into consideration at each stage of the making process. I utilize a variety of wheel thrown and hand building techniques and enjoy altering forms by stretching, pushing, and cutting the clay to create dynamic shapes. At the leather hard stage, I layer each piece with colored slips (liquid clay) to create my surface designs.
I fire my pots to cone 1, a few degrees hotter than is typical for most earthenware pottery. This helps tighten the porous clay body and turns it a rich dark red-brown. I am inspired by nature—primarily trees and flowers—and it's these images I keep turning to when I sit down to decorate. I try to approach each form without being overly fixed on the outcome, but rather allowing the clay to direct me. It’s this direct experience with the clay that keeps me engaged and always striving to make the best pots I can.
McKimmy, Kendra
Merkey, Meghan
Ignite Creative Studio
ignitecreativestudio@gmail.com
www.ignitecreativestudiodesigns.com
6645 Windtree Lane
Lake Ann, MI 49650
My life and work's journey took me all over the country and allowed me to live in some spectacular places. I find that my inspiration for the images you see on the pieces I make comes from my surroundings and the inspiration behind the forms you will see with my work comes from a sense of purpose.
My passion is to create one of a kind pieces that people are going to want to incorporate into their daily lives. I want my pieces to be the ones that you reach for in the morning for your coffee or that you set your bar soap on after being in the garden all day; I want my pieces to be a part of your .
Nickelson, Steven (Nick)
Sandy Springs Studio
Puerner, Jerri
Flower Frog Studio
Reinert, Jim
Richards, Tom
Tom Richards Pottery
269.743.8616
269.345.5586
5818 Concord St.
Portage, MI 49002
I have been making pottery for almost 30 years. I have a studio at home and I teach ceramics at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. There is a duality in what I make, whether it is a simple bowl or a vase. There is a quiet grace or beauty in the simple lines of the form or the landscape of its surface. Function and art together. I primarily make my pots out of porcelain. I fire my work to cone six and cone nine using electric and gas and sometimes wood in the Anagama kiln at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.
Rottman, Jeff
616.485.3967
2417 Barfield Drive SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49546
