Islesford Pottery
I live and work on Little Cranberry Island (also called Islesford), Maine during the months of June, July and August. Since 1989, I have been making and selling my pots and several other potters’ work from a little shop on the Islesford Dock. Islesford is located off Mt Desert Island. Take the ferry from Northeast Harbor (Beal and Bunker Mailboat) or Southwest Harbor (Cranberry Cove Ferry). There are also water taxis available by appointment- Cadillac Taxi, 207-460-4939 or The Delight, 207-244-5724.
Islesford Pottery is now closed until June 2024. Thanks to all visitors and supporters– a successful season! Check out the list of represented potters and their own websites to see if they have work available other places through the year. See ya next summer!
Artists
Besides the work of Marian Baker, Islesford Pottery is pleased to represent the work of these potters:
Kaitlyn Miller
Islesford, Maine
Kaitlyn Miller lives on Islesford and makes bright, colorful, majolica-glazed pottery and jewelry using red earthenware clay. Hand-built or formed on the wheel, each piece is functional and unique. Her style is ever evolving, bringing the colors, textures and cheerful vibes of the island to her work.
Elizabeth Levi
Bath, Maine
Co-potter at Islesford Pottery during summers from 2013-2015 (formerly Elizabeth Louden)
Elizabeth makes wheel-thrown porcelain, handmade in Bath, Maine.
Chris Breedlove
Maryland and Mt Desert, Maine
Retail store assistant most Sundays and when help is needed
I have been working with clay for more than 15 years and find my inspiration from the flowers and trees of coastal Maine as well as from the ocean. The glazes I develop and use are intended to reflect the many colors and moods of the Maine seacoast.
Ruchika Madan
Somerville, MA
Co-potter at Islesford Pottery during summer of 1995
I have been a dedicated maker all my life. I spent a quiet childhood and all the years since, cutting, gluing, stitching, sawing, soldering, and cooking things up. I love to work in series, creating a body of work with images that come from a theme, or recurring preoccupation I have. Most of my work is made from white stoneware and porcelain clay using a variety of forming techniques, including wheel-throwing, slab-building and slip-casting. Strong clean forms, with soft corners and planes are great for experimentation with line-drawing, texture and color. The surface is created by incising and carving, and brushing, stenciling, and trailing slip. The glaze and underglaze materials vary the line quality and colors. By applying the glazes to selected areas with a brush, some areas can be shiny, while others remain softly matte.
Nancy Shaul
Westport Island, Maine
I enjoy the whimsy of “playing” with clay and the joy of making items that will be used daily.Each creation is hand crafted with great attention to detail.
Cathy Hammond
Lyman, Maine
Co-potter at Islesford Pottery during the summers of 1998-2001
In recent years I have come to realize that the pots I most enjoy and admire convey a quality of movement, a breath of life, and reveal glimpses into the sensibilities of their maker. This “soul” is something I try to achieve in my work, but I have found it cannot be forced, nor “applied.” Instead, I start with an idea or emotion, and while I work, I encourage a sympathetic response from the clay. On a good day the pot will begin to breathe, and may even guide me in a new direction – possibly away from my original intent, but arriving at a more animated and honest resolution.
Adrian King
Portland, Maine
My approach to making pottery stems from an intrigue for the process and materials that I use. I utilize atmospheric firing technique of wood and gas that activates the surfaces with an earth-toned warmth. The firing process allows moments of uncertainty to happen. Bursts of color appear where licked by the flame and glaze wraps around a pot like water against rock. I want my pottery to bring comfort to our daily routine through tactile and visually stimulating surfaces that promote and encourage use.
Lauren Mundy
Ghent, NY
Queen of helping open shop most seasons, setting up work in the store to look awesome
Almost 30 years ago I saw two old American slip-decorated plates at an antique show. They were stunning and, as if it were Divine Intervention, I thought, “I’ve got to work with slips and slabs!“ Since then, that’s what I’ve been doing—beginning by looking at all the slip-decorated red ware I could find and copying it, then introducing new colors, shapes and designs, creating a modern interpretation of a centuries-old technique.
Kari Radasch
Portland, Maine
Both my pots and my surface are rooted in the garden, my compost, mosaic, contemporary textile, design objects, ornamentation and hopefully the unpredictable. I am trying to find the perfect balance between too much and not enough, knowing that my inclination is to pile it on only to want to take it away. My work repeats my real life compulsion to binge and purge. My urge to collect, arrange, style, garnish, celebrate, and be over the top is cramped by an equally pervasive desire to boil things down, organize, codify, and to live simply and clutter free.
Autumn Cipala
Thomaston, Maine
Autumn Cipala is a ceramic artist who works from her studio in midcoast Maine. Inspired by the luminosity of porcelain, a love of historical ceramics, and the beauty of her coastal surroundings, she forms each piece by hand to create clean forms that are embellished with subtle details and enhanced by soft translucent glazes.
Mimi Olins
Portland, Maine
Using soft slabs, I create subtle organic gestures which allude to my material process as well as to the content reflected in the work. I favor what feels both sparse and approachable.
Each piece of pottery is crafted by hand from start to finish. SOFTSET ceramics invites us to bring one-of-a-kind pieces and people, together. To pause, and to create space in our lives for connections.