Clay Lore and Studio Life
Stories shaped in clay.
In this series, we trace the evolving story of ceramics: from the fire-darkened vessels of Jōmon Japan to the 3D-printed forms of today. These entries aim not just to tell stories, but to teach – inviting readers to deepen their understanding of ceramic practice across time and culture.
Studio Life
Moments from inside Mayfield.
What we’re making, what’s going on, and who’s showing up. Shout-outs, updates, playlists, and the human side of the studio—all the muddy, heartwarming bits.
More from the Studio
Clay is just the beginning. Explore the ideas, voices, and reflections that shape our creative life.
The Shelf That Holds Us: Pottery, Storage, and Slow Stacking
…we’ve just finished installing a wall of reclaimed ceramic shelving…And just like that, the room feels held.
Upstairs, Downstairs, and the Myth of the Clay Tower…
At Mayfield Studios in Abbotsford, we’re building upward too…
The Studio in Winter
This winter, the clay is drying much slower, our hands are aching sooner, and the tea kettle becomes the most used tool in the studio, particularly by Andy and Michael.
“Fire in the Belly”
This week in our ceramic studio in Abbotsford, we installed a pot belly stove. It isn’t a kiln. It’s not a digital heater. It’s something deeper: a cast-iron heart in the middle of our creative space…
Clay and the Moon: Lunar Rhythms in Pottery and Studio Practice
This week, the moon is pulling Mayfield back into orbit…
Peter Voulkos and the California Clay Revolution
Photo by John Polak, Everson Museum of Art Collections.
Marguerite Wildenhain and the Bauhaus Spirit in Clay (1930s - 1950s USA)
Photo by John Polak, Everson Museum of Art Collection, purchase gift of Richard B. Gump, 11th Ceramic National, 1946.
The Bauhaus Potters – Form Follows Clay (1920s Gernany)
The Bauhaus wasn’t merely a school — it was a statement of principles.
Bridging Continents in Clay: The Legacy of Bernard Leach - 1920s England (Leach–Hamada connection)
Bernard Leach was more than a potter. He was a bridge.
Shoji Hamada – The Potter Who Stayed Grounded (Early 20th-century Japan)
Hoji Hamada (1894–1978) and Berhard Leach made these kilns together.
Earth and Fire: Pueblo Pottery and the Spirit of the Land (Ancient Americas)
In the high desert of the American Southwest, clay isn’t just a material — it’s a memory.