“Places Our Heart Calls Home” Opens at Clay Bay Pottery

Clay Bay Pottery invites the community to the opening of their summer show, Places Our Hearts Call Home, July 7, 5-8 pm. Come enjoy wine and appetizers and listen to the live music of David Hatch and Lynn Gudmundsen. On July 8 pottery demonstrations will take place from 11 am to 3 pm. All events are at Clay Bay Pottery, 11650 Highway 42, Ellison Bay.

Inspired by the Danish concept of Hygge, the universal concept of feeling sheltered and connected with “place,” owners Jeanne and David Aurelius chose the theme to inspire their pottery and that of the other artists participating in the show. A unique connection among the participating potters is the tie to a special “home” they all experienced as young artists, working at the Pond Farm School in Guerneville, California, under the tutelage of potter and sculptor Marguerite Wildenhain from the Bauhaus in Germany.

Jeanne has been working in the studio, making pieces to be used and loved. She draws inspiration from her years of training with Wildenhain who encouraged creating pieces to be functional yet beautiful, and taking the time to appreciate the workmanship of hand-thrown, quality pottery.

For David, nature and his work are the comfortable homes of his heart and his art. Whether roaming the woods seeking a favorite stand of trees or throwing and decorating pots and tending the kiln, he seeks to have his work embody the beauty, comfort and integrity of hand-made work.

Mary Deneen and Martha Winter have collaborated on new work that embodies their personal sense of the theme: stepping out of the mainstream into their studio, letting the heart find its own pace, enjoying creating new work as a refuge from the fast pace of daily life. The works includes wall flowers, open-minded women, plates, mugs and bowls.

Other artists who will share new work are potters Peter Deneen, Rich Meaux, Kristine Marie Landreman and Peder Hegland, jeweler Sylvia Youell and painter/printmaker Carl Homstad.

Clay Bay Pottery is open 10 am to 5 pm, Wednesday through Monday. For more information call 920.854.5027.