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.

Featured
Peter Voulkos and the California Clay Revolution
Clay Lore
Peter Voulkos and the California Clay Revolution
Clay Lore

If Marguerite Wildenhain taught discipline, Peter Voulkos kicked it off the wheel.

Read More →
Clay Lore
Marguerite Wildenhain and the Bauhaus Spirit in Clay (1930s - 1950s USA)
Clay Lore, Learning through clay
Marguerite Wildenhain and the Bauhaus Spirit in Clay (1930s - 1950s USA)
Clay Lore, Learning through clay

Before there were MFA programs, there was Marguerite…

Read More →
Clay Lore, Learning through clay
The Bauhaus Potters – Form Follows Clay (1920s Gernany)
Clay Lore
The Bauhaus Potters – Form Follows Clay (1920s Gernany)
Clay Lore

The Bauhaus wasn’t merely a school — it was a statement of principles.

Read More →
Clay Lore
Bridging Continents in Clay: The Legacy of Bernard Leach - 1920s England (Leach–Hamada connection)
Clay Lore
Bridging Continents in Clay: The Legacy of Bernard Leach - 1920s England (Leach–Hamada connection)
Clay Lore

Bernard Leach was more than a potter. He was a bridge.

Read More →
Clay Lore
Shoji Hamada – The Potter Who Stayed Grounded (Early 20th-century Japan)
Clay Lore, Rhythm and Ritual
Shoji Hamada – The Potter Who Stayed Grounded (Early 20th-century Japan)
Clay Lore, Rhythm and Ritual

Hoji Hamada (1894–1978) was a quiet force in 20th-century ceramics —

Read More →
Clay Lore, Rhythm and Ritual
Earth and Fire: Pueblo Pottery and the Spirit of the Land (Ancient Americas)
Clay Lore
Earth and Fire: Pueblo Pottery and the Spirit of the Land (Ancient Americas)
Clay Lore

In the high desert of the American Southwest, clay isn’t just a material — it’s a memory.

Read More →
Clay Lore
The Smoke and Spirit of Onda Ware (Ancient Japan)
Clay Lore
The Smoke and Spirit of Onda Ware (Ancient Japan)
Clay Lore

High in the hills of Kyushu, Japan, tucked between rice paddies and cedar groves, sits the quiet village of Onda (

Read More →
Clay Lore

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.

Featured
The Studio in Winter
Studio Life
The Studio in Winter
Studio Life

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.

Read More →
Studio Life
“Fire in the Belly”
Studio Life
“Fire in the Belly”
Studio Life

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…

Read More →
Studio Life
In the Beginning, There Was Clay….
Studio Life
In the Beginning, There Was Clay….
Studio Life

And so we begin: with clay, and with a story…

Read More →
Studio Life

More from the Studio

Clay is just the beginning. Explore the ideas, voices, and reflections that shape our creative life.

→ Conversations from the Studio
→ Studio Writing & Reflections