John Taylor

I began, many years ago, making pottery with lots of decoration, as I was a painter at the time. The decoration was much more important than the form. Over the years the forms have become more important. Today I make functional pottery and large “story” jugs. I feel all of my work relates via a road in functional folk pottery and story telling.

At Pottery Northwest, a community studio, I hope to explore a body of work dealing with “Dance as a metaphor for Life” with the first series of large jugs “The Garden of Earthly Delights”. I am working with earthenware terra cotta with slips, colors and hopefully a lead like non-lead clear glaze. This will be all new materials to me and will require a certain amount of research. I will also continue throwing and decorating functional ware and decorating with the new glazes and techniques.

The studio itself is new for me as a mid career artist. Working in a community studio requires no small amount of participation within the community. I hope to engage in the work of others as well as feel the engagement of them with my work.