Pottery is one of the oldest of art forms. There are examples of pottery from the Yuchanyan Cave (southern China) dating back 18,000 years. The earliest known ceramics are those of the Gravettian figurines found in Dolni Vestonice (modern day Czech Republic) dating back to 29,000 to 25,000 BC (give or take a few centuries). This female nude is entitled the Venus of Dolni Vestonice (most likely not the artists original title).
The potters wheel was invented somewhere between 4,000 and 6,000 BC in Mesopotamia and had the effect of revolutionizing the art.
Today the art remains pretty much the same as it did back in the earliest of times. Bare hands form wet clay or stoneware which may be glazed with a medium that produces the colors of the piece.
While most innovations in art media allow the artist more options and flexibility, some recent changes have made glazes containing lead difficult and in some states illegal to obtain. Leaded glazes, while not food safe, produced some of the more vibrant finishes in the world of pottery. While the new non-toxic glazes are quickly catching up to their leaded counterparts, they are not quite there yet. This minor setback has had little noticeable effect on the high caliber of pottery and ceramic arts produced by the masters of our time.
Most artists do not have access to the equipment necessary to venture into the realm of pottery. Those wishing to try their hand at the wheel are able to contact Diane Smith, a HAA member who runs a studio out of her home here in Haverhill. Diane holds occasional demonstrations out of her studio (free to HAA members) and teaches classes for those wishing to pursue the art.
Following is a sampling of some of the works produces by potters of the HAA.
