Artist Statement — Ray & Susan Allen
We make our living by designing and hand crafting functional stoneware pottery in our studio in Murfreesboro, TN and marketing it locally and at craft shops and galleries throughout the country.
We make our pots by hand because we both love the feel of clay, its plasticity and how it responds to our touch. It is important for us to maintain the traditions of the past and to control as much of the process as possible: to make our own clay and glazes, to build our own equipment, to make our pottery using the traditional methods of wheel throwing and hand building. We design all our pieces with three things in mind:
Our work is distinctive because, although we make traditional pottery items that have been used for hundreds of years, we have developed a style that is uniquely ours and a glaze palette of colors that fits into any contemporary home. The shapes and sizes of our different items are consistent, though not identical. We relate every piece with a glaze style of two overlapping glazes applied on the diagonal. Each piece becomes one-of-a-kind , however, because of the individual glaze stamping and spontaneous drawing that is done on the surface. We constantly strive to make the best work possible. We care about each and every piece we make because we want it to bring joy to the person who buys it and uses it every day.
It is equally important to us to get our pots into the hands of people who will use them. We have built a wholesale business slowly since 1982 by listening carefully to the needs of our buyers and by learning from the mistakes and successes of other potters and craftsmen. As a team, we have established annual and weekly schedules that allow us to make quality pots and get them to our buyers when they need them.
As craftsmen of the 21st century who have our roots deep in the 20th century and an appreciation for the tradition of our craft, we will continually strive to maintain quality and craftsmanship in our work. We believe that consistency as well as freshness is necessary in all we do, so we are always searching for new ideas to enhance our line.
Pottery is a craft that presents endless challenges, but the knowledge that the work of our hands and heart brings joy to those who use our pottery is extremely fulfilling.
We make our pots by hand because we both love the feel of clay, its plasticity and how it responds to our touch. It is important for us to maintain the traditions of the past and to control as much of the process as possible: to make our own clay and glazes, to build our own equipment, to make our pottery using the traditional methods of wheel throwing and hand building. We design all our pieces with three things in mind:
- that it be a useful, functional and well designed piece,
- that it be enjoyable to look at even when it is not being used, and
- that it have a spirit and life about it, the mark of the potter, so to speak.
Our work is distinctive because, although we make traditional pottery items that have been used for hundreds of years, we have developed a style that is uniquely ours and a glaze palette of colors that fits into any contemporary home. The shapes and sizes of our different items are consistent, though not identical. We relate every piece with a glaze style of two overlapping glazes applied on the diagonal. Each piece becomes one-of-a-kind , however, because of the individual glaze stamping and spontaneous drawing that is done on the surface. We constantly strive to make the best work possible. We care about each and every piece we make because we want it to bring joy to the person who buys it and uses it every day.
It is equally important to us to get our pots into the hands of people who will use them. We have built a wholesale business slowly since 1982 by listening carefully to the needs of our buyers and by learning from the mistakes and successes of other potters and craftsmen. As a team, we have established annual and weekly schedules that allow us to make quality pots and get them to our buyers when they need them.
As craftsmen of the 21st century who have our roots deep in the 20th century and an appreciation for the tradition of our craft, we will continually strive to maintain quality and craftsmanship in our work. We believe that consistency as well as freshness is necessary in all we do, so we are always searching for new ideas to enhance our line.
Pottery is a craft that presents endless challenges, but the knowledge that the work of our hands and heart brings joy to those who use our pottery is extremely fulfilling.
