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home/studio in Tigard, Oregon, a
suburb of Portland. Below is our
mascot and constant companion
who we rescued from the Humane
Society in Salem. The Willie Dog.
it is moving toward fruition.
Both my wife, Mary, and myself have dabbled
in the ceramic arts for years, actually Mary
longer than myself. However, raising a family,
and holding down jobs in education in
Lebanon, Oregon really put a damper on
pursuing many creative endeavors. However
retiring early and making a move to the Valley
of the Sun in Arizona changed all that. I fell
in love with the wheel very shortly after
meeting my first teacher and mentor, Jerry
Osborn, at a studio in Sun City Grand, and
Mary subsequently jumped into handbuilding
with both feet. Jerry was a wonderful teacher,
who continuously encouraged me to move past
assumed limits to new levels. I also took a
course from David Bradley who teaches at
Paradise Valley Community College, and who
was featured recently in Ceramics Monthly, a
leading ceramics publication. Another
gentleman, and fine clay artist, Bob Mohr,
inspired me through his own work and
encouragement, as did Dot Reeve, who always
said "go for it." There are others who deserve
notice, who have been very helpful to both of
us, Saul Lerner and Kathy Fuller among
others.
After many hours of practice and classwork,
both learning and teaching wheel and
handbuilding we decided to move back to
Oregon and set up our own studio. There is
still much to be done to complete the
permanent studio and much still to be learned.
But that is all part of the excitement and thrill
of working with clay.
decorative represents a combination of craftsmanship and
artistry. To that end each piece should be pleasing to the
senses. It should be both comfortable to touch and draw ones
eyes to it. The piece must also be safe and durable. Thus we
use commercial lead free stoneware clays, and our own mixed
lead free glazes. We also test our glazes for colorfastness and
durability.
At Muddy Duck Pottery, we use a variety of glazes and add new
ones periodically as we experiment with new colors. We fire in
oxidation at cone 6 which takes each piece up to a temperature
of approximately 2280 degrees.
We hope that you enjoy visiting our website and using our
pottery as much as we enjoy creating it.
converted garage, and will serve temporarily
until time and resources allow for the
independent studio to be completed. However,
for the present it provides ample space for
throwing, drying, firing, mixing glazes, and
completing handbuilding projects.
The building will be remodeled and expanded
back toward the far corner of the fence and
possibly even a gas raku kiln will be built. The
garden will stay however. We enjoyed fresh
produce for the first time in six years this year.
bowls that will later appeared in gallery's and
at festivals in our area.
with Willie, the studio mascot, watching
behind her. This pieced decorate with grape
clusters and leaves will be used as a utensil
holder in a kitchen.
completed. Amphora's are a Greek vessel that
was designed originally to hold wheat, olive oil,
and wine. Often they were 50 plus inches tall
and had a clay spike on the bottom for securing
in the ground. They were often sealed with a
wooden plug. Not being perfectly air tight the
stored wine often turned to vinegar.