Jay Gardner

I took my first pottery class at the Artists Association of Nantucket Island when I was sixteen. I was there on a family vacation and thought it would be fun to take advantage of the month-long classes they offered to Summer residents.  The class resulted in three or four very heavy, very badly crafted bowls. Much to my horror, they exist somewhere on a shelf in my parents’ house.As a college freshman I spent most of my time in the clay studio creating bowls, mugs and vases. Then life intervened and I went on to pursue both a Bachelor's and a Master's degree in music, putting pottery on the back burner.But the clay bug had bit and while working as a reservations agent for a major airline I decided, on a whim, to take a pottery class. Twenty years later I no longer work for that major airline. Instead, I am pursuing a career as a professional musician and making and marketing wheel-thrown, functional pottery. Over time, my work has evolved to embody simple, clean forms with carved surface designs.  My pots utilize Arts and Crafts-inspired glazes and are fired in a high-fire reduction kiln . Influences include Bernard Leach, Mark Hewitt, Cynthia Bringle and Robin Hopper. My main goal is to produce pottery that is both beautiful and useful. My hope is that my mugs, plates, bowls and pitchers will be used at a table where people come together not only to enjoy a good meal but to discuss, laugh, cry, debate and connect. I am currently a faculty member at The Craft Guild of Dallas. All clays and glazes are non-toxic, and all pottery is dishwasher and microwave safe.