About Us

Gay Smith

I imagine how the work of my hands and heart may be of benefit. Perhaps, working as a potter develops beneficial qualities: caring attention, commitment, honesty, courage, passion, hard work, love of beauty, and a willingness to get one’s hands dirty.

Amy Sanders

The physical and creative nature of working with clay satisfies my desire to play, construct, experiment, and to get dirty. Patterns in textiles, architecture, nature and quilting inspire me to create works that invite touch and evoke a sense of nostalgic comfort.

Teresa Pietsch  

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I make work that connects both the functional and the decorative; I am seeking to make pots that people want to touch, hold, and use. Finding inspiration from trees and plants, my pots reflect ideas that are centered in life, growth, and experience.

With Guest Artists

Joy Tanner

Integrating the way I experience the world with the way I design and create functional pottery is essential to my creativity. Whether rinsing garden tomatoes at the kitchen sink, or pausing to study wildflowers along the trail, I believe in taking time to notice the little details of life. I am just as awed by the way a leaf connects to its stem as I am the folds of a mountain range or bursts of clouds at sunset. I always view these things with an eye toward conserving and celebrating the environment that I live in.  My work bears the mark of these values, resulting in uniquely designed pottery that is just as inviting to ponder and touch as it is to use and share.

Will Baker

From concept to design to final firing, my process for making functional pottery requires an intimate relationship with both preparation and chance. I embrace the challenge of creating a smooth surface free of unintentional marks. This element of control is balanced by the unknowns of firing in a wood and soda kiln. People who use my pottery on a daily basis also engage intimately with the work. This final act of appreciation enhances its beauty and brings my creative process full circle.

Kristin Schoonover

Kristin Schoonover, previously Kristin Benyo, grew up on Long Island, then attended Alfred University where she graduated in 2001 with a BFA in ceramics. Soon after graduating, she relocated to Asheville, NC where she began her pottery business in 2004. Currently, she maintains a studio in Asheville's River Arts District. Her work can be found at Clayspace Co-op in the Wedge Building.

Kristin creates her work by wheel throwing and hand building. Most of the time spent on each piece is in the surface decoration. All of the color is added using thick slips that she creates with colored clay pigments. A background color is painted on, then hand-cut paper stencils are applied with a contrasting colored slip painted on top. All pieces are dipped in a clear glaze and fired to cone 6 in her electric kiln.