After
having worked as a professional photographer for a number of
years I decided to return to college. I needed to declare a minor.
Being a Business Ed major, art was the last thing I thought I
could declare. Well, I was wrong, and thank God I was wrong!
In
January 1964, I became an art minor and in September 1964 I was
introduced to ceramics for the very first time. At that moment
I knew that I had found my life's work. It was a moment I will
never forget. I still have my first pot to remind me of that
day.
Well,
the years flew by. I studied at Penland School of Crafts for
two summers and changed my major to Art Education. I slowly began
to learn my craft (I'm still learning). During this time I met
some extraordinary artists who helped shape my thinking about
clay.
After
meeting an absolutely wonderful woman, who became my wife, Susan
and I moved to Wisconsin for graduate school. After earning an
M.F.A. in art and with the birth of our two children, I continued
making pots. I traveled all over trying to sell them. It was
definitely a struggle. Teaching jobs here and there helped considerably
during those early years.
Moving
to Tennessee in 1978, the work started to take on a more mature
nature and became more focused. Susan began working with me and
our focus became more sharp. Popcorn Studio Pottery was established
in 1979.
As
a team, Susan and I have been working at our craft full time
traveling the country selling our wares, meeting wonderful people
and, hopefully, making lots and lots of folks happy. To please
God and make others happy are our goals.
We
strive to make the best work possible. We are concerned that
our work always show the touch of the artist, the mark of the
potter, so to speak. It is important that we maintain personality
within our work. We hope that you feel somewhat connected to
us when you use our pots.
This
is a craft that presents endless challenges. I strive daily to
meet these challenges with a strong desire to make that perfect
pitcher.
Photograph by
Tamarin K. Allen
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Ray and I had been married for ten years and I had
never felt any desire to work with clay. One day in 1979, when
he was preparing for an art fair, he asked if I could help out
by making some of the slab built plates. Well, I figured that
I could do that just this once.
I remember
rolling out a slab of clay, cutting out the shape I needed and
then the utter feeling of defeat when the slab ripped in two
as I picked it up to put it in a mold. I was so discouraged because
of all the work I had put into preparing the clay to that point.
My hero came to the rescue and said, "Wait! Let me show
you how to fix that." Ray simply overlapped the torn edges,
then, with a little pressure, smoothed the seam on both sides
with a metal scraping tool. Voila! That slab was one piece again
and ready to go into the mold.
I fell
in love with the material first. Clay is a substance unlike any
other. Then, as I spent more and more time hand building and
my technique improved, I started to design new pieces. Invariably,
they were pots that I needed in my own kitchen. I love the fact
that everything we make is intended to be used on a daily basis.
Going to art fairs to sell our work reinforced the knowledge
that others were made happy by being able to have hand made pottery
in their lives as well.
Even
after all these years I have never gotten bored making production
pots. At the end of a long day in the studio I get such satisfaction
when I look up and see a ware rack full of pots that I have made
with my own hands. I look at those pots that are still wet and
unfired and know that each one of them will bring pleasure to
the person who will eventually use it in his or her home.
You
should know, though, that all aspects of making a living making
pots are not so much fun. To go from making the clay and glazes
ourselves to getting those pots to their respective homes involves
a lot of business. Somehow I slipped into that niche.
Luckily, our business grew slowly enough that I was able to pick
up the skills necessary for organizing and keeping track of the
many facets involved at the business end.
We
started out when there wasn't any money to waste, so we built
most of our own equipment, studio furnishings and art fair displays.
My degrees in technical theater have served me well when it came
to building our art fair display. After all, what is a display
if it's not a small set for a traveling show that can be set
up and taken down in a short period of time and all fit into
a van along with thirty some boxes of pottery? Having come from
that background (and still not having any money to waste!), we
continue to be Do-It-Yourselfers. There always seems to be something
to rebuild or repair.
Ray
and I are a team and definitely complement each other. It is
a joy to work together and meet the challenges and solve the
problems. I cannot think of another job I would rather do. We
are both grateful for each other and for the path down which
we have been led to make a living at a craft that we enjoy and
that brings happiness to others.
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