SIMON LEVIN

I feel like I have so many projects in process I am turning the front page of this website into more of a blog format with regulary (monthly) updates.

I have started a world map of wood kilns.  I am asking owners of woodkilns to email me or my friend Josh Harmony information about their kilns so I can place them on the map.   You can see the map here.
In March Ceramics Monthly asked me to write a 1000 word article on my life as a working potter for a continuing collection of essays on this topic.  That article is now out and available.  The article covers my approach to business and clay, as well as promotional efforts. You can see the article here. or my past articles here.
I also have added a calendar of events, workshops, gallery showings, sales, etc.  It is available as an event list, or calendar, your choice.
I have a new apprentice starting at the end of June.  His name is Matt Bukrey.  He and his wife Jamie are moving to Gresham.   Matt worked at Richard Breshahan's pottery at St. Johns University, and now comes to Mill Creek seeking to develop his own voice in clay.

What makes a pot good? Ceramics is a form of non verbal communication. Like sculpture, functional pottery can be experienced visually. However, a pot also speaks to us through the way it feels in our hands. The synergistic experience of weight, color, texture, reveals a truth to us; that is a good pot. When you first handle a piece of pottery, you can see the maker's hands shaping the pot and the fire's touch. These sensations connect us to the journey the clay has made. So begins the relationship between the user and the ware. Pressing your lips against a favorite mug full of warm liquid is an intimate moment that serves as a daily reaffirmation of that relationship.

Wood-firing is an ancient process: a product of thousands of years of history and innovation. Firing with wood requires close connection between potter and process. Wood-firing results in a product that is as unique as it is beautiful.  Each pot speaks of its form and experience. Good wood-fired work is alive with subtlety.

As you explore these pages you will find details about my philosophy and information about the wood-firing process.  Each piece is an individual work of art, the best of which can be purchased at my online store.