About

My Journey….

I was born in Troy, Ohio and was introduced to the potter’s wheel in high school. I did pottery when and where I could over the next 28 years while raising 2 children.

In 2008, I had the opportunity to take classes in salt firing at the Odyssey Center in Asheville, North Carolina. In 2009 my husband and I bought a small farm in New Castle, Indiana, where I decided to get serious about pottery.

My Work....

I make my pottery on the wheel, hand-build it, or use a combination of techniques. The majority of my work is bisque fired, decorated with glazes I've developed and mixed myself, and then fired again in my electric kiln. This is how I produce my functional work for everyday use.

When I was in North Carolina I learned the method of soda firing. This (and wood firing) are probably my favorite methods for firing pottery, however, they provide a fairly limited color palette and don't seem to be in high demand from my customers. The method is more labor intensive and time consuming which means I have to charge a bit more for soda fired work. There are people who appreciate the earthiness and understand the process and so I fire my soda kiln 3 or 4 times a year for those customers and for my own enjoyment and learning!
I apply a liner glaze to the interior of most pots and to surfaces that will come in contact with food. My glazes are food safe.

Pottery is a craft that presents many variables. Sometimes this can lead to new discoveries and great joy. Other times it can lead to disappointment and frustration. I think the element of "chance" is appealing to me. It probably reminds me of nature and her quirkiness! And appeals to my own quirky nature!

It has definitely been (and continues to be) a learning experience for me. I am extremely blessed to have been given the resources, friends, and support from my husband to pursue this craft. I love meeting other potters and learning more about their methods. Mostly I love to share my passion for it with anyone who is interested (and many unfortunate souls who probably aren’t interested at all!)

I hope that anyone who ends up with a piece of my pottery enjoys using it as much as I enjoyed making it!!

2747 S. County Road 600E - New Castle, IN 47362 - (765) 518-6565

Loretta@LorettaWrayPottery.com

http://hoosiermamanow.blogspot.com/