Laine McPherson
Laine McPherson teaches here and makes here. Fairy houses with cats on the roof, and vases small enough to lose in your hand.
One semester, and then the world shut.
How did clay and pottery find you in the first place?
I was going to school down at SUU, originally planning to be a theater teacher. I decided to take a ceramics class for the first time in spring of 2020, and fell head over heels in love with clay! I had recently found out that I was pregnant with my first, and that this would be my last semester of college for a while. Then COVID hit and classes were shut down right as I was getting ok at wheel throwing. I had the option of taking my tools and clay home with me, so I did and re-used that clay over and over until I was able to get back into a studio to actually finish pieces. By the end of that semester I knew that I was a potter for life.
A fairy house, or a vase the size of a grain of couscous.
What do you make, and which piece would you never part with?
I make detailed whimsical pieces! Whether it’s a huge fairy house, or a tiny vase the size of a grain of couscous, the goal is to make something cute and whimsical that makes people smile!
Oddly enough, the one piece I’ll never part with is actually my simplest piece. It’s the first piece I threw on the wheel that survived to the kiln. It’s a simple cylinder that I use as a mug, and I LOVE it.
The combination she keeps coming back to.
Favorite glaze or combo in our library, and what made you loyal to it?
Texas two step sea mist over mulberry. I tried it on a slug once and it’s just so dreamy and unique!
What she created here at The Clay Hole.
Nine months of slow drying, and then the kiln opened.
What’s the worst pottery disaster you’ve ever had?
The giant fairy house. I planned it out and worked with the most amazing team of potters to bring it to life, move it several times, slow dry it over 9 months, and manage to actually get it into the kiln, only for the damn thing to crack in several key places during the firing. Watching the kiln open and seeing those cracks, knowing the journey was over... I don’t even have the words for how disappointed I was. I poured my heart and soul into that thing, and I’m still not over it. Probably won’t be for a while.
Oldest of eight, mom of three.
Who are you when you’re not covered in clay?
I’m the oldest of 8 kids, a mom of three amazing kids, wife to the cutest dorkiest guy, and an ADHD party/mess depending on how you look at it! I’m always getting sucked into a new craft, and finding ways to share it with my kids. I love cooking, especially when my husband keeps the kids out of my hair. When hubby and I are able to get some time alone we’re usually playing Magic the Gathering or some other cool game we’ve found at a gaming store. I’ve always loved reading, although now I listen to books more than I sit down with a physical book. I love fantasy, romantasy, and sci-fi.
The mess under the bed covers.
What were you like as a kid, and what did you want to be?
I was a huge nerd as a kid, I was a teachers pet and very proud of it, and was certain I would be a teacher. It just took me a while to decide what I would teach. In highschool I fell in love with theater and thought that was what I would teach. I’ve always been crafty and good with my hands, to the point that I would make HUGE messes with my crafts. There was a period of time that I wasn’t allowed to do any crafting in the kitchen because I wouldn’t clean up after myself. So I took it to my room. And hid the mess under my bed covers. My mom found it. And still teases me about it.
Weirdly good at.
What are you weirdly good at that has nothing to do with pottery?
Losing my #$*"~¢ing keys. And my phone. And my glasses. And my wallet.
The best things she has ever made.
What are you proudest of that has nothing to do with pottery?
I mean it’s super cliche, but my kids. They are the best things I’ve ever made, and I’m so proud of the people they’re becoming. My oldest is so kind and sweet, my daughter is the silliest little princess, and my baby is all smiles. I love them with everything I am.
Where to find Laine McPherson’s work.
Is your pottery online or for sale anywhere?
Sometimes I’ll be at makers markets which I post about on Instagram, but I also have my website: potterylaine.square.site
Laine McPherson teaches and makes at The Clay Hole, a community pottery studio in Draper, Utah.