What Does a Pottery Maker Do?

Pottery is one of the oldest and most widespread decorative arts, consisting of objects made from clay and hardened with heat. It’s also one of the most durable forms of art, and fragments of pottery from almost every time period and civilization have been found.

Potteries can be hand-formed or created on a potter’s wheel, but they always must be fired in a kiln. Pottery can be made of a variety of materials, but ceramics are typically made from clay and other elements like glass, iron, minerals and wood ash.

Earthenware is the most common type of pottery. It includes a wide range of utilitarian items, such as pots and dishes for cooking or eating with. Pottery makers use a variety of methods to shape clay into the desired form, such as slab construction or coiling. The latter is where potters roll out and stack long, thin ropes of clay to create vessels with walls.

Another type of pottery is porcelain, or that extremely delicate stuff in Grandma’s cabinet. It is a translucent white ceramic that uses kaolinite clay (the primary clay) mixed with granite and feldspar minerals, plus pulverized animal bone for added strength.

Pottery makers work in a variety of settings, but most own or manage their own studios. They’re responsible for maintaining a clean and organized workspace, managing inventory, ordering supplies and pricing and marketing their pottery. They may also participate in workshops or artist residencies to expand their knowledge and techniques.