Pine Springs Pottery: Functional wares inspired by nature

Clarion County | I-80 Frontier Landscape of the Pennsylvania Wilds

By LaKeshia Knarr

Marie Lewis at Pine Springs Pottery says her infatuation with clay goes back to her early days of college.

“Keeping my hands in clay for the next 20 plus years as a hobby, I practiced and I learned,” she shared.

Today, the professional New Bethlehem artisan produces unique kitchen and dining stoneware inspired by functional early American pottery and the patterns of nature.

Her studio, located in the basement of her rural home, also features a small retail space for her finished products as well. In that space, the variety of patterns and breadth of her skills is evident.

Working on a vintage kick wheel, Lewis throws stoneware pieces that are hand-dipped in glazes she formulated to create a smooth, neutral palette.

 “I paint by hand on top of the glaze with stains of my own formula,” Lewis said. “Each piece retains its own unique marks both of the maker and the process.”

The artisan ensures her products are oven, dishwasher and microwaveable safe.

“Using a reduction method in a gas kiln fired to 2300 degrees, the otherwise fragile elements mature rich in color and texture and strong enough for everyday use,” she notes.

TIMELY TIP

While the shop at Pine Springs Pottery is temporarily closed to in-person shopping due to COVID-19, shoppers may contact Marie Lewis for orders and to arrange a “Porch Pick Up.”

For more information about Pine Springs Pottery and Marie Lewis, visit https://www.pinespringspottery.com/.

*Photos used in this article were taken by Karen Heltzel of Moments in Time Studio as part of the Creative Makers of the Pennsylvania Wilds – A Traveling Public Art Show, which was partly funded by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts.

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