It's Valentine's Month at the Maine Potters Market

Did you know that the Maine Potters Market has a great selection of gifts, large and small, that can help you celebrate this day? Come and visit our newly arranged store! From wall pieces to lovebird vases to porcelain jewelry, you will find lots of gift ideas at The Maine Potters Market.

Shop for a Cause Day

On Saturday, December 3rd, help support two charities chosen by our local merchant community by shopping downtown in the annual Shop For a Cause Day.

Participating stores pledge to donate a portion o their sales to the selected charities: The Center for Grieving Children and The Portland Police department’s Explorer Post Program.

The Center for Grieving Children, based in Portland, Maine, serves more than 4,000 grieving children, teens, families, and young adults annually through peer support, outreach, and education. Offering our services at no charge, for as long as people need them, the Center’s mission is to provide loving support that encourages the safe expression of grief and loss and fosters each individual’s resilience and emotional well-being. The Center reaches individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds, and relies on financial contributions from individuals, businesses, foundations, United Way, and special events. For more information, call (207) 775-5216 or visit www.cgcmaine.org.

Portland Police department’s Explorer Post Program secures grants to train under 21 individuals who are interested in a law enforcement career and give them the opportunity to work with the department for 8 to 12 weeks. They are in a polo shirts uniform and use radios on the police frequency. The department has had them walking ”beats” in the Arts District this past August and September and has proven effective in reducing problem behaviors on the street while providing a positive response from visitors. Funds raised for this program could help expand the hours and the downtown area covered.

 

Merry Madness

Thursday December 15th 5-10pm - Shop ‘til you drop in downtown Portland!

Merry Madness kicks off downtown with music, food, and fun! Check back for hotel information and a list of participating stores offering food, drinks and late hours. It’s a night full of fun with your friends- shop, eat, and be merry!

Participating stores (including the Maine Potters market) will remain open until 10 pm.

Come to our Welcome Reception
for New Member Betsy Levine
and take 15% off all in-store work!

Maine Potters Market will host a welcome reception for new member Betsy Levine on November 4, 2011 from 5pm-8pm. Also in celebration, Maine Potters Market will feature a 15% off sale of all in-store pieces from November 4-6, 2011.

Adding even more variety to Maine Potters Market, Betsy Levine of Prescott Hill Pottery in Liberty, Maine, shares her interest in artifacts, historical records, and symbols, which adorn her beautiful pottery for us to enjoy. For Betsy, making tableware, storage jars and vases expresses spirit in a language as ancient as the first pots. Her elegant and earthy, feminine and strong creations are finished in soft yet vibrant earth tones, echoing our connection with the past.

Completed wood-fired and soda-fired stoneware and porcelain pots are as beautiful as they are useful. Maine Potters Market invites you to help them welcome Betsy Levine to Portland.
 

ABOUT BETSY LEVINE – Betsy established Prescott Hill Pottery in 2005, upon her move to midcoast Maine. In addition to being a unique and gifted professional potter, Betsy also brings a wealth of experience in graphic arts to Maine Potters Market, and is a major talent behind their newly re-launched website.

 

“Now We’re Cooking!”
Pottery Designed for Cooking and Serving
by Jacqueline Hickey

Maine Potters Market celebrates the fall harvest with Jacqueline Hickey’s new window, “Now we’re cooking!” October 10, 2011 through October 30, 2011

Specifically designed to share and delight in the process of preparing, cooking and serving locally grown and harvested food, “Now we’re cooking!” celebrates Maine’s rich farm culture and locavore movement. Pieces include batter bowls, oil and vinegar sets, mortar and pestles, honey pots, utensil holders, platters and more. Just in time for Portland’s famed Harvest on the Harbor, “Now we’re cooking!” will adorn your table and countertops with grace and local style.

 

ABOUT JACQUELINE HICKEY – Jacqueline Hickey established Happy Valley Potworks in 1983 and has been making functional pottery for over 30 years. Her often whimsical creations are playful, highly textured, and brightly glazed.

 

“Waves and Leaves” by Gail Kass

Maine Potters Market announces their latest window “Waves and Leaves” by Gail Kass, on display through October 9, 2011.

Drawing inspiration from her studio window’s view, Gail Kass explores the constant motion of water and her ever evolving garden. Mimicking the symmetry, patterns and uniqueness of Hosta and the changing tides, “Waves and Leaves” mirrors and echoes nature’s beauty and perpetual flux. Each piece is a snapshot of evolution; thrown on the wheel and then again on the work table. Kass has intentionally left the throwing marks on these pots and has used a swirling spiral as an integral part of her design. “Waves and Leaves” is a perfect complement to the fall season and a beautiful homage to summer past.

ABOUT GAIL KASS – Gail Kass has been searching for that elusive “perfect pot” since the early 70’s. Working from her home in a quiet cove of Casco Bay, Kass enjoys creating tranquil landscapes and seascapes on her pots.

 

“Clay Barns” by Cedar Mountain Potters

In a fantastic diversion from the typical clay pot, stein or bowl, David Orser of Cedar Mountain Potters has drawn from his own personal experience of renovating his 200 year old farmhouse in Parsonsfield to create a stunning series of clay barns. Orser states, “I have always found delight in studying and making work that has at its roots a tradition that is not easily seen in practice today.” The original genesis of these clay barns came from Japanese clay tomb figures and buildings call Haniwa. With Haniwa in mind, Orser looked at the architectural language of early America and began to create. The end result harkens back to the struggles and basic way of life that created a new breed of pride and resiliency that characterizes and sustains us as Americans today. “It is with a mixture of joy and reverence for the old, and sadness, as I witness the disappearance of these beautiful objects and ways of life from our current landscape.”  Orser’s “Clay Barns” will be in display until September 18, 2011. Be sure to stop by Maine Potters Market before they are gone.

ABOUT DAVID ORSER – David Orser studied at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Massachusetts and also at Cranbrook Academy of Art. Along with Laurel McDuffie, Orser enjoys a quiet life making art, renovating their 200 year farmhouse and outbuildings, and walking in the woods with their rescued Lhasa apso.

 

Betsy Levine brings her wood- and soda-fired pots
to the Maine Potters Market

Maine Potters Market announces our newest member, Betsy Levine. Working in Liberty, Maine, Betsy joins the ranks of Maine Potters Market’s 12 current members, adding even more variety to the pottery we offer. 

For Betsy, making tableware, storage jars and vases expresses spirit in a language as ancient as the first pots. Her interest in artifacts, historical records and symbols is directly reflected in her pottery. Elegant and earthy, feminine and strong, Betsy’s work is finished in soft yet vibrant earth tones, echoing this connection with the past. She states, “Placing marks on a surface feels like a profound act of humanity.” The completed wood-fired and soda-fired stoneware and porcelain pots are as beautiful as they are useful.

ABOUT BETSY LEVINE – In addition to being a unique and gifted professional potter, Betsy also brings a wealth of experience in graphic arts to Maine Potters Market, and was instrumental in creating their newly re-launched website. Maine Potters Market invites you to visit their website and stop by their shop and help welcome Betsy Levine to Portland.

 

Tom Huber, Potter and Glassmaker Featured

Maine Potters Market is exhibiting Tom Huber’s exploration in glazes from June 13, 2011 through July 3, 2011. Huber brings his unique perspective and creativity to pottery via his experience with a wide range of glazes and firing techniques. Huber states, “A Potter’s glazes are true glass.” In his upcoming exhibit, Mr. Huber explores the many glaze variations and techniques a potter employs as well as the opportunities and constraints afforded in adhering glazes (glass) to clay vessels. Some techniques include: Starving the glaze for oxygen, growing crystals in the glaze, causing the glaze to crackle, coloring the glaze with metal oxides, or flowing several glazes together. Huber’s pieces will exhibit different glaze techniques, styles and uses. Experienced pottery buyers and novices alike will revel at the versatility, beauty, and functionality of his artwork. All items are handmade at Huber’s Newfield studio and are characterized by his signature style: giving classical forms a contemporary expression.

ABOUT TOM HUBER – Tom Huber is the founder/owner of Symmes Pond Pottery. Growing up he enjoyed playing in the mud, playing with fire and being surprised at the outcome from his ventures. Today, Huber is a potter who still plays in the mud, with fire and is surprised. He lives with his wife, Melody, their dog, cat, various chickens, turkeys and bees in Newfield, ME.

Susan Horowitz's "Pots for a Cause - Made for Japan" Benefitting Japanese Earthquake Relief Efforts

"Made for Japan" is the newest installment of Susan Horowitz's "Pots for a Cause" series in which special pieces are inspired, designed, and sold for a particular cause. "Made for Japan" will benefit Japanese relief efforts from the devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011. Horowitz's "Made for Japan" window display and designated pieces is featured at Maine Potters Market from Monday, May 23, 2011 through Sunday, June 12, 2011.

Inspired by the work of Japanese potters Shoji Hamada and Soetsu Yanagi, Susan Horowitz celebrates the traditions, crafts, resiliency, and culture of the Japanese people. "Made in Japan" will feature vases for Ikebana, the art of Japanese flower arranging, as well as Maneki Neko, or Lucky Cats. The vases have a pin frog, known in Japanese as kenzan, which make it easy to create simple yet elegant displays. Maneki Neko have a long history in Japan. They can often be found as simple rooftop decorations or as beckoning cats at Japanese restaurants. These pieces incorporate Yanagi's concept of "Minegi" (Folk Art), which treasures, encourages and promotes handmade items above their commercial, less unique counterparts. These pieces also harken Japan's history of rebuilding, recovering from devastation, and producing some of the finest quality items found around the world.

ABOUT "POTS FOR A CAUSE" – For over twenty years "Pots for a Cause" has benefitted numerous groups that work to end world hunger, improve the water quality of Casco Bay, better the lives of children in Chinese orphanages, and support Mainers living with HIV/AIDS.

ABOUT SUSAN HOROWITZ – Susan Horowitz has been a potter for forty years. She established Ash Cove Pottery in 1985 and believes deeply in the connection between herself and the users of her pottery, as well as the great influence and importance of handmade wares in one's everyday life. The beauty and grace of Maine's natural landscape are reflected in her work.

Barbara Walch's Pinchpots Featured

The Maine Potters Market, 376 Fore Street in Portland's Old Port, showcases the work of Barbara Walch during the month of May. The display features her signature pinch pot designs that are both practical and beautiful.

Walch established her pottery amidst beautiful perennial gardens in Thorndike, Maine. She says, "My work is meant to stimulate the imagination and the viewer's sense of fantasy while reflecting details of the natural world through organic forms and colors. It renews our sense of connection to nature, using the nature of the clay itself to reflect the textures of sand and stone, the colors of earth and sky and the forms of leaves and gourds." A long time Maine Potters Market member, Walch prides herself in making pots that "serve to connect our daily activities of eating and socializing with those essential details of the natural world.

Barbara Walch's newest pottery, on display in May, is sculptural yet functional, proving that there's more to dinner than just food! The art of dining, eating and entertaining, setting a unique table, and adding interest to food are the themes that Walch explores with this work.