Alexis
Alexis took a wheel class in 2009, moved somewhere with no studio, and did not touch clay again for fifteen years. She builds hobbit holes and carved stumps now.
Fifteen years, then a post on Instagram.
How did clay and pottery find you in the first place?
I first tried pottery in 2009. I took a weekly wheel class in SLC and LOVED it. The next year I moved to a small town without any pottery studios and that turned into a 15 year break. I had been trying to find my way back to pottery when I saw a Clay Hole post on Instagram. I was wishing something like that was near me when I clicked through and realized the studio was 20 min from my house!
Things with stories in them.
What do you make, and which piece would you never part with?
After getting my hands back on some clay, I was surprised by how much I loved hand-building. I love the possibility of creating anything I can imagine.
I especially love building things with stories: a hobbit hole, a crystal ball, a tree stump with initials carved into it, a flower shop, a quilted witch’s hat, a graveyard scene.
I equally love making anything inspired by my beloved garden: a giant platter with a rhubarb leaf imprinted, a trophy for flower growing, a crock with 3D tomatoes all around the sides, poppies mono-printed on the side of a teapot.
What she created here at The Clay Hole.
The pomander tree and the unexpected bump.
What’s the worst pottery disaster you’ve ever had?
On occasion I bring a project home from the studio to continue working at home. One time I was nearly done working on a ceramic pomander tree and wanted to finish the last little bit at home (pomanders are a Christmas decoration, oranges studded with cloves). I secured the tree in my car, drove away, and almost immediately drove over an unexpected bump and the whole thing went splat. It was very sad.
Special collections, quilts and a garden.
Who are you when you’re not covered in clay?
I am a wife to a great guy and a mom to two precious and precocious boys. Before kids, I graduated with a Master of Library and Information Sciences degree and worked in special collections at a university library (where all the old or rare stuff is kept). In addition to ceramics, I also love quilting, gardening, skiing, and visiting Lake Tahoe and Jackson Hole.
Nose in a book, feet in a dance studio.
What were you like as a kid, and what did you want to be?
As a kid, I loved reading and always had my nose in a book. I was also a competitive dancer and spent too much of my free time in classes at the dance studio.
Weirdly good at.
What are you weirdly good at that has nothing to do with pottery?
I have become VERY good at building anything out of DUPLO blocks. I’m not really one for imaginative play so they were the key to having fun with my kids when they were small. As a result we have amassed a pretty impressive collection and I can build anything out of DUPLO. A memorable build was a sinking Titanic with its bow sticking up out of the water.
What she’s proudest of.
What are you proudest of that has nothing to do with pottery?
I’m so proud of my family. My husband and my kids are what it’s all about!!
Where to find her work.
Is your pottery online or for sale anywhere?
I haven’t posted anything for sale so far. Maybe someday :)
Alexis is a member at The Clay Hole, a community pottery studio in Draper, Utah.