Pine Springs Pottery

On a Friday night, I found myself in a car with my daughter, Erin, and Katie who works with Erin. We were driving up to New Bethlehem to a pottery party at Pine Springs Pottery. The studio is owned and operated by Marie Lewis and it is located in the basement of her lovely 140 year old renovated farm house.

We drove down a gravely road to the picturesque farm house with an equally inviting yard. There was a small building in the yard with the doors wide opened. A kiln was in visible sight.

We were able to check out the downstairs of the two story house, which was obviously restored with a lot of love. The kitchen was cozy with a long, white marbled table in the center of the room. The table either was an antique or it was a customized designed to look that way. Next to the kitchen was a screened in room. This was probably my favorite room. It was decorated with white wicker furniture, and had some old shutters hanging on the walls, along with some of ‘grandma’s’ furniture. Both the television and dining rooms had the dark, old wood farm house floors, which were gorgeous and shiny.

There were a few other women attending the party, so Marie took us downstairs to her studio. He pottery pieces were on display and later we could buy them or order custom made ones. We sat or stood around as Marie sat down at her pottery wheel and went through all the steps to making a pottery piece. She pulled out a big plastic bag with large squares of clay. She cut a piece into fours and placed the remainder in the bag, and tightly secured it so that it wouldn’t dry out. Next Marie worked on the piece of clay, kneading it to get the air out and then she rolled it into a long log shape. Her next step was to place the piece on a potters plate and then to put it on the wheel and begin turning the wheel with her foot. She can also use electricity to make her wheel turn.

It seemed like in an instant the clay started to take shape, all the while Marie dripped water onto the piece and shaped it into a bowl, hollowing out the inside. She cut off the excess clay with a wire cutter, as well as dragging the cutter on the bottom of the pot and the plate to keep it from sticking.

It all looked so simple as Marie shaped and created the bowl. But I knew it had taken her a long time to master her craft to make it look that easy. She knew when the piece was done and stopped the wheel. It would take a few days to dry out. She would then apply glaze to the piece and paint the bowl with her designs. When the pottery is totally dried and ready, Marie can fill up the inside of her kiln…she fires it for the amount of time that is needed.

While she was working on her bowl, Marie explained that she has been doing this for 24 years, shortly after her first daughter was born. She also told how she bought her pottery wheel and kiln from one of her art professors who died. The kiln was taken apart and rebuilt in the small building where it is now. Having this connection to a favorite professor, has a lot of meaning for Marie. To me, it made Marie’s pottery even more special.

If anyone is interested in pottery or in taking a class, look at Marie’s website (www.Pine SpringsPottery.com)

The whole evening was a special one. It was a pleasure to meet Marie Lewis, who loves her pottery and it made me want to take a pottery class. I did walk away with two items and I ordered a few more custom pieces.

The next day, I drank my coffee in the beautiful mug that my daughter bought and gave me for a Mother’s Day present, a Lewis original. It was a pleasant and beautiful reminder of a totally lovely evening.