Get To Know Your Gnome
Since I was around 4 years old, and just a wee gnome navigating the gardens of life (just kidding, I am a human man… but certainly still navigating the gardens of life), pottery has been a love of mine. Though we lost touch with each other and had what can only be described as an on-off relationship, I began my throwing career when I attended a small school in Grass Valley, CA. After a year of learning to throw and building and firing several kilns, I attended a pottery and kiln building workshop. We built a 6-chamber climbing kiln; each chamber was 6’ x 6’ x 6’ with a 40’ foot chimney at the top of the hill. We mined the clay and glaze materials and made our own bricks to build the kiln. At the end of the 30-day workshop, we spent three days firing our new friend.
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Connecting Back to Our RootsAs I've grown older, I’ve realized this interaction of clay and humans brought me into a closer harmony with Mother Earth and how we are inherently woven to clay throughout our lives. I believe our souls are tied to clay, which is why I do what I do today with passion, a loving attention to detail and joy. Our naked clay evokes this relationship and inspires both us and our clients to interact with the Earth at a primal level, bringing us all more in tune with what the world around us has to offer.
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Our Sacred SourceThe rich red clay we use is from the Ohio River Valley where it is mined from extensive clay fields left in the wake of retreating glaciers 12,000 years ago. So it’s a bit more of a higher quality than what you likely used in your grade 3 art class, and definitely no Play-Dough. Ancient cultures used this clay to make cooking pots, storage jars, water jugs and figurines. Iron oxide gives the clay its uniform red color, and provides a fine texture suitable for both thrown and sculpted pieces.
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Laughin’Gnome Pottery can be found at the following locations:
On Saturdays - April 1st - December 15th 9:00 am - 2:00 pm Port Townsend Farmers Market May 1st - December 15th 9:00 am - 2:00 pm Edmonds Farmers Market On Sundays - Year round 9:00 am - 2:00 pm Ballard Farmers Market Stores with a full selection: Crusty Crumb Bakery 1433 W Sims Way Port Townsend, WA 98368 Wednesday through Saturday 9 – 5 Sundays 9 – 4 Stores with a select inventory: The Carefree Quail 4242 Capitol Blvd SE Tumwater, WA 98501 (360) 481-0977 Chimacum Corner Farmstand 9122 Rhody Drive Chimacum, WA 87325 Daily 9 – 7 Port Townsend Historical Society 540 Water Street Port Townsend, WA 98368 Port Townsend Marine Science Center 1001 Water Street Port Townsend, WA 98368 Mossy Creek Pottery 483 S Immonen Road Lincoln City, OR 97367 The Mother Lode Exchange Community Market 1324 Jackson Gate Road Jackson, CA 95642 Quilcene Village Store 294235 US-101 Quilcene, WA 98376 Daily 7 am to 11 pm Treasures and Teas 102 5th Ave S Edmonds, WA 98020 (425) 771-2601 |