Kindling a love for ceramic arts with Clay Way

KENT — You needn’t be an art aficionado to enjoy the self-guided Clay Way 2018 Studio Tour on Oct. 6, 7 and 8. Organizers say the 14 potters (who will be located at nine different locations in Kent and surrounding towns) are opening their studios to those who want to buy, browse or simply enjoy refreshments and chat with the artists about their clay creations.

While some of the larger pottery can run into hundreds of dollars, “some people will have bargains where you can find really nice mugs or tea bag holders for $25 or less,” said potter Alison Palmer, who is one of the event organizers. 

Palmer, assisted by her guitarist husband Steve Katz who is handling publicity, will be hosting clay artists Will Talbot and Linda Boston at her South Kent studio during Clay Way. “I like bringing clay artists together,” said Palmer, while at the same time supporting other area businesses through the influx of visitors. “It’s nice to be able to contribute something to this wonderful town.”

On Friday, Sept. 14, Palmer was assisted by Talbot and friend Tom Loggia during a firing of her soda kiln, one of two wood-burning kilns on her property in Kent. Inside the brick kiln were more than a hundred functional and sculptural pieces created specifically for Clay Way. 

“I’m so excited; I worked all summer on these,” said Palmer.

Talbot, the youngest potter of the group at 26, helped pump sodium bicarbonate into the blazing kiln, a process that stirs up the ash and creates a glaze for the pottery. He stayed the night to keep the fires burning. 

“I’m on the graveyard shift,” he said as dusk heightened the glow of the kiln. Talbot, a fifth generation artist from Washington, Conn., said he is proud to be part of the Clay Way team. 

“There is a big fine arts community in Washington and Kent, but not a huge awareness of the ceramics community,” said Talbot. 

Through Clay Way, he and the 13 other  participating clay artists are hoping to ignite pottery’s popularity.

The third annual Clay Way will be Oct. 6 to 8 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. There is no fee to participate. For a map of the nine studio locations, go to www.clayway.net.

The participating artists are Alison Palmer, Linda Boston, Tom White, Joy Brown, Deb Lecce, Naoko Ojio, Brendan Moore, Kathy Wismar, Will Talbot, Christine Owen, Todd Piker, Drew Montgomery, Amy Brenner and Lisa Knaus.

Katz, a founding member and guitarist with the legendary band Blood, Sweat & Tears, will be performing periodically at Palmer’s studio, and signing copies of his book, “Blood, Sweat and My Rock ‘n’ Roll Years.”

Clay Way is part of American Craft Week, a nationwide celebration of American craft. The artists’ works range from sculptural to functional with everything in between.