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Laura Nichols
Pottery
Pig Pen Pottery
438 River Bend Toad
Great Falls, Va 22066
Hand thrown, hand painted, functional stoneware to be enjoyed every day, and non- functional alternative fired decorative pottery, in a relaxed old Great Falls environment.
I have been making pots for many years. I am self-taught, leaving me to wonder on occasion whether I have a genius or an idiot for a teacher. My formal education is Anthropological Linguistics (PhD, The American University 1988.) I work in my home studio, Pig Pen Pottery, on my family farm, Hidden Springs Farm, in Great Falls, Va. I make homemade pots for everyday use. They are individually hand-painted mostly with what I see: roosters, foxes, herons, pileated woodpeckers, dragonflies and owls, hens and chicks and guinea fowl. I strive for simplicity with each form and painting. My pots are intended for daily use. They are dishwasher, microwave, oven safe, and lead free. My goal is to make a pot that is pleasing to the eye, to the hands and to the purpose for which it is intended. I also make decorative, not so useful alternative fired pots, such as raku, saggar, pit fired, and horsehair Making pottery is an exercise in letting go. Rarely does a pot come out as expected. The best you can do is combine shape, texture and color according to your muse, and then give it over to the fire. Firing Raku is the essence of this truth. What the fire gives you is what you get!
Since 1988, Pig Pen Pottery has occupied the basement of Orchard House, my grandparents’ house built in 1939. It has a rustic feel enhanced by a large fireplace. It is a peaceful place just to be. The studio is organized into several work zones: the throwing area (the messy part), the hand building area (dry), and the glaze room (relatively clean.) Aside from functional stoneware, I make lamps, masks, and sculpture and experiment with glass. There are four kilns. Two electric kilns for bisque firing and two gas kilns outside, one for reduction firing stoneware, and one raku kiln used for the alternative firings that will go off on Saturday of Studio Tour. The pottery is located on our family farm where we do not have pigs! The driveway is long and narrow. Please pull off into driveways along the way to let others pass. Beware the ditches are deep!
ACTIVITIES SATURDAY - During your visit to Pig Pen Pottery, I will be showing all aspects of the processes that I use in making my pots. Please come with questions especially if you are thinking of getting started in pottery or setting up your own pottery studio. Saturday 1pm-3pm Raku and alternative firing. I will be running the outdoor raku kiln demonstrating glaze, saggar, horsehair, and Obvara firing techniques.
ACTIVITIES SUNDAY - Activites/times on Sunday 1pm-3pm try your hand at the wheel. Come as you are (maybe not in your Sunday best!), don an apron and feel the clay!