Andrew Balmer

I've been making pots for 35 years with my wife, Pat, and over the last 15 years we've been firing pots in a soda/salt atmosphere. The "giving up" of some control of firing results felt fairly natural and well worth it. It seems that every step of the way making pottery involves accepting limitation, gifts, accidents, luck. When I pick up a piece and find it necessary to turn it around and around and am unable to decide which area gained the most from the soda firing, I know we've been on the right track. Now, from the throwing to trimming to decorating the salt/soda atmosphere is a familiar partner and workmate that speaks in the finished piece.