4 Small Handmade bowls by Elise Delfield of Pinu Pottery in North Carolina

4 Small Handmade bowls

by Elise Delfield of Picu Pottery

 North Carolina

ELISE DELFIELD

I am a  studio potter and pottery instructor, living and working in beautiful Bryson City, North Carolina, a gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

My focus is on creating unique and beautiful pots that function.  I strive to make sure my pottery feels comfortable in the hand and does its job well. Beyond that basic premise, I try to imbue in my pots my interpretation of the colors and forms I see here in Western North Carolina. I chose to use red clay as a symbol of the wonderful red dirt under my feet. (I also chose it because historically it has been the most abundant clay and the clay used for regular folk, as opposed to the porcelain of kings and queens). The dents I sometimes put in my pots reference budding flowers and the undulating landscape of the Great Smoky Mountains. And before I glaze my pots with my unique glaze, formulated through years of research, I paint each like a unique watercolor painting, adding color and form reminiscent of flowers and songbirds and butterflies.

Most of my pottery is wheel thrown.  It is fun to alter pots out of round, so occasionally I do, as well as create using slabs of clay that are not limited to being round.  I fire my pottery in an electric kiln to cone 3 (2100 degrees F) so that each piece sings when tapped.  I just love the high pitch sound of a ‘tight’ clay body and feel that sound, as well as touch, are important to the overall sensory experience of handmade pottery.

I am a proud member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild. My pottery has been published in several books and has found its way to Europe, Asia and Australia.