Finally my own Website

“Do you have a website? Where can one buy your pieces?” I often get these questions and my answer has always been that I do not have a website, but I am in the process to get one soon. I have always been and I am still very hesitant about having an Emil’s Pottery Studio website because I am not a full time potter (yet). I know customers will move on and become uninterested if I am not able to consistently produce new work to be uploaded on my website. I also understand that customers expect a purchased piece to be shipped in a timely manner. I am afraid of becoming a “shipping company”. Lastly, having a creative and interactive website requires devotion and time. However, it is a necessity to have an outlet for ones products and I have taken the plunge to have a website. I am excited about the prospect that my work is finally visible around the world and I am curious about the interest in my creations. I am also looking forward to read comments, questions and suggestions. Please leave your comments on (emilpotterystudio@gmail.com).

I do not like to talk about myself and certainly I am not the one who constantly takes selfies. Yet, I want to give you a quick background of who I am and why I make pots. I grew up in beautiful Switzerland, in a very tiny village on a lakeside. My father was a medical doctor who had an interest in the arts and collected handicrafts. Any handicraft! My mother was a great cook and musician, both activities that require creativity and great hands. Needless to say that appreciation for works done by artisans with their hands was cultivated while learning to make things with my own hands was nurtured. Looking back, I am not surprised that after a demanding college and graduate education I ended up as a biomedical researcher. This profession requires individuals to be creative, enterprising and great skills with hands. I especially loved the process to come up with novel ideas and perform experiments in the lab.

The interest in making pots came when I took a class in hand building as a graduate student. But what I really wanted is to work with the potter’s wheel. This opportunity came years later when I moved to Los Angeles and found a ceramic studio where freelancing young potters would hone their skills. I watched them and tried to pick up their techniques. I learned the art of shaping and forming a lump of clay, but it was and still is a challenging process. When I finally had my own studio, better know as my garage, I also was a father of a cute little guy who used to sit next to me when I made pots. Yet, soon, I spent lots of time with him on the baseball field and in the music room and my clay work was on hiatus for many years. When I finally got back to the wheel, I was rusty and I was really fearful that I would not enjoy the process of re-learning making pots. Yet, the manual skills came back quickly and with that the passion for the craft.

When you browse through the website you will see a Gallery page where I showcase some of my work I have done in recent years. Many of the pieces that you see were subsequently sold, but I thought it to be important that you as a potential customer have an understanding of my esthetics. You probably noticed that my work shows much influence of traditional ceramics from the Far East. Indeed, I have been fascinated and I am emotionally attached to the simplicity of Japanese esthetics (wabi sabi). Embedded in the Zen philosophy, the traditional Japanese and Korean pottery expresses an inner beauty that is hard to describe. One needs to “see” and feel it. By no means do I claim that I have reached as similar level of artistic work, but I strive to make pieces that are simple in shape, form and color. I am drawn to earthen colors created by ash glazes although I also use brighter colors such as the deep dark red of the copper red glaze. More recently, I began to make functional pieces for everyday use. My many trips to Japan imbued the sentiment that I wish to expose my customers to the wonderful experience of using hand made plates and cups and bowls for their meals.

The website does not yet have the online purchasing functionality. However, if you have an interest in buying pieces, please contact me by email (emilpottery@gmail.com) and I will provide you with the price information.

I hope you like what you see and please leave any comments and questions you might have. I will try to get back to you in time. Please visit again.