Diane Hardy Waller is the current potter of the month. Her work, shown below, will be on display at the studio through the end of February.

Artist’s Statement

Creativity is a driving force. It flows through me like magic. Everything is an opportunity to think and feel differently about materials, people, myself, nature and God. The search for the divine in my surroundings inspires and motivates me.

When I look inside me or around me for an idea to make from clay, I notice the basic shape first and then the graphic elements; these satisfy my need for order and godliness. Then I wait for the clay to tell me what it wants to be to make the object unique and personal. I enjoy finding the irony, humor and tenderness in the form. Most exciting is when the whole process is spontaneous: Divine Inspiration expressing through me.

Peggy Clarke is our featured artist this month. In the window of the studio and in our gallery, you can see an array of Peggy’s recent work which includes a study of small porcelain teapots and a series of large hand-coiled vessels that Peggy calls her “yoga bodies”.

Here is how she describes these pieces and what they mean to her:

“I discovered ceramics quite by accident about 10 years ago and I was immediately hooked on the technical challenges, the creative outlet and the mental focus that clay offers to its students. In a very different way, studying clay has taught me some of the same lessons that practicing yoga has.

“These two disciplines, while physically demanding at times, are as much about finding balance and listening to yourself as they are about achieving a particular outcome. Yoga and ceramics have helped me to ‘get centered’…..to ‘be flexible’…..and to ‘accept change’…..in such delightful and unexpected ways.

“This past year, I combined my two passions and created a series of 25 hand-made ceramic vessels that represent the bodies of my yoga students. In constructing these pieces, I pay tribute to the beauty, grace and strength of my students whose influence on my life has been profound. Each piece was constructed of coils or slabs and lovingly formed — to reflect the energy and spirit that I witness in every class I teach.”

Peggy is one of La Mano’s owners and also teaches pottery classes in our studio. She teaches 9 yoga classes a week, ranging from advanced vinyasa classes to basic classes in yoga and meditation. Peggy is a member of the faculty of FIT.