Tucked away down a windy driveway not far from St. Paul is a type of sanctuary for Sharon Richardson. And just a few steps from her home is a studio filled with the necessary means for Richardson to put her creative skills to work.
It’s been about 20 years since she took her first pottery class, and in that time the hobby has also grown into a small business known as Mudpie Pottery. Richardson works full-time in an unrelated field, but uses pottery as a creative outlet on the evenings and weekends.
When she and her husband decided to move to St. Paul about eight years ago, Richardson had one stipulation, there would have to be a potter’s group nearby that she could join. Thankfully, she found the St. Paul Visual Arts Centre and her love of pottery continued to grow.
Later, Richardson and her husband moved to an acreage outside of town and she was able to create her own studio, complete with an electric kiln, space for her to work, and space for her to display her work.
“This is like a dream,” says Richardson, as she works on a new piece of pottery in her studio, adding, “I like making stuff . . . It feeds my soul.” She admits that she sometimes gets unhappy if she isn’t able to be creative.
“This keeps me sane.”
But, being a potter isn’t just about spinning and molding clay. There is a lot to learn, and a variety of techniques that can be used.
“It’s challenging and you never get bored,” says Richardson. She began her journey as a potter with the Edmonton Potter’s Guild, and then she began to take classes through the University of Alberta Faculty of Extension, which is where she met Noboru Kubo.
“He became a mentor and a friend,” says Richardson of the Japanese potter.
Although she’s been working at perfecting her technique for 20 years now and has seen much progress, Richardson admits that when she sees some of the pieces she created years ago, she cringes.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever master it. Maybe when I’m 80,” says Richardson.
Creating just one piece of pottery involves a number of steps, beginning with wedging the clay to get any air bubbles out, which is similar to kneading dough. This is followed by throwing the clay on the wheel and creating the shape of the piece. Then, it dries to a leather-hard stage, excess clay is trimmed off, and handles or spouts can be attached.
The piece must then dry again, very slowly, or it can crack or explode in the kiln. Then wax is put onto the parts where glaze isn’t wanted and the piece is dipped or sponged with glaze. Then, it is put in the kiln.
One of the most challenging steps in creating pottery, for Richardson, is creating her glaze.
“You don’t just buy a glaze,” she explains. Richardson must purchase the proper chemicals and ingredients at a pottery store, then create a glaze using scales and a lot of trial and error. And although it can be frustrating, it’s an important part of the process.
But, whatever her skill level and despite the challenges that arise, creating pottery is something she loves doing. One day she hopes to have a gas and a wood kiln along with her electric kiln, since different kilns yield different results.
She has used these different kilns and prefers the “organic” results that can be achieved with gas and wood.
Along with her pottery, Richardson also practices Raku, which is a Japanese way of firing pottery. Hanging on the wall in her studio are unique pieces of art created using this technique.
Then, just a short walk from her studio is Richardson’s home, which is full of artwork she has created and collected. Her mother is a painter, and Richardson has a couple of her pieces of art on display. She also has work from local artist Herman Poulin and the late Marcella Gascon displayed in her home.
She has pottery made with different firing methods and a collection of pottery in the corner of her living room made by different potters she admires. Her kitchen cupboards are also filled with handmade items.
Richardson says she is trying to switch all the dishes in her house to pottery since she not only enjoys making the pieces, but also enjoys eating and drinking from clay too.
“What makes me so happy and fulfilled is if someone loves something I made and uses it every day,” says Richardson.
