My name is Amber.
I am a wife, a mama and a potter.
FEB 2021
I live in Blackstone, MA with my husband Kevin, our 2 daughters, Evelyn(6yrs) and Rosalie(1.5 yrs) and our cats, Cat & Alice. The days are full; they don’t always go as planned but they are always filled with family, happiness, love and with any luck, a little clay. My actual dream.
I grew up in Blackstone, Massachusetts, a small town with a working class history. My close knit family taught me to treasure the people and relationships in my life. My mom has been my safe place to land and my number one supporter through all stages of my life.
I learned to work with clay in high school circa 2002. I had a teacher who allowed me to explore at my own pace. He was there to answer and ask questions, set new challenges and lend me VHS tapes of his favorite working potters. He taught me to set my own goals.
I went to college about an hour away, in Framingham, MA. I took a variety of different studio art courses, printmaking was also a favorite, but ultimately I ended up back in clay. All of my professors were working artists. They showed me what the hustle looked like. Keep making.
My nephew and I seated on the floor, as we would if we were participating in a traditional tea ceremony.
These are images of my senior exhibition.
At that time, I was tangled in ideas about art vs craft. I believed that art was the higher of the two because it had deep layers of thought meant to communicate ideas from artist to viewer. I liked to make functional pottery. I liked to make dishes. I felt that dishes were not worthy of being called art and somehow I had to make it appear more profound. I struggled to find a focus for my senior thesis that was worthy… so I did some digging.
During my search, I wound up doing a lot of reading on traditional tea ceremonies. The items used during a tea ceremony have very specific purposes and are held in very high regard, especially the tea bowl itself. The tea bowl may be made specifically for one ceremony and maybe only used by one person its whole life! While that piece of pottery and potter hold an exceptional honor to be included in something so treasured, I learned that I prefer my work to be used by anyone on any ordinary day, mostly just used. The idea I most clung to through my study is that, ‘a thing is not a thing unless it is used as the thing.’ Thats about as profound as I got.
For the opening of my senior exhibition, in addition to my 6 different tea bowl sets shown in the photos below, I built 40 extra tea bowls and served matcha tea for everyone to use while they experienced the show. I felt successful seeing the work in use. I felt connected to the people using my work.
While in college, a fellow clay mate convinced me to sell pottery with her at a local farmers market in Natick, MA. I loved to stand behind the table and answer questions about my work. I loved to see people pick something up and really connect with it. I loved to see repeat customers and hear them say, “Just coming to see what you have new this week… I really love my new mug. I choose it over every mug we have in the cupboard. It’s my soul-mug!”
Photos from my early market days.
After college, I wanted to make more pots. I was dreaming of either opening a studio of my own or joining an existing one. I settled on the later. Thank goodness. I stumbled upon an incredible studio space called The Potters Shop & School in Needham, MA. The facilities allowed me to produce in volume and experiment freely. The like minded souls provided support and helpful criticism. Steven Branfman, the chief man in-charge, is one of the most influential people in my life. Among many things, he taught me how to fit every last piece in a kiln and to identify the desired melt of a glaze through the peep hole of a raku kiln. He taught me that if you’re going to do something you may as well figure out how to do it the best way the first time. He taught me to value my work. He showed me what hard work and intention can get you. The community there made me a better person and potter. Scientists, authors, journalists, doctors, mothers, some older some younger, I taught some and some taught me. It was the best place for me.
“This is not Linens N Things.”
— S. Branfman, (director of the studio, mentor and friend) during a drive by pep talk about pricing work
During my 5 years at The Potters Shop, I had my first whole-sale account with a local soap maker, sold mugs in a local coffee shop, and was represented by a small gallery on Cape Cod. I taught adult classes at the shop and taught 3 years of Summer Camp at Concord Academy working with children ages 4-16. I took an incredible trip to Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and attended my first NCECA conference.
In 2014, Kevin and I got married. Kevin is my sounding board and my biggest critic. He instills a determination in me that drives me to be the best I can be. We paid our wedding DJ in pottery, the first complete dinner ware set I have ever made. That same year is when Evelyn was born. I made pots right up until she was born. She tagged along for a little while after that but I eventually slowed down. It was time to take a break and enjoy our little family.
We bought our house in 2017. The only requirements in my mind were to be closer to family(we’re definitely family people and love our village very much) and to have space for a clay studio. Check and check! And now here we are, my home studio is up and running and we’re one baby richer! I get to make pottery as often as I like and get tiny visitors who like to play in clay as much as I do. Now finally to share it with all of you! Wahooo! Zip Zip Wooopieeee!
Clay connects us.
