My Favorite Places

Bedford, Virginia is a small town community of about 6600 residents, located at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It’s just a 10 minute drive from The Peaks of Otter or 20 minutes from Smith Mountain Lake, and is positioned directly between larger cities of Lynchburg and Roanoke. Check out the Bedford Area Welcome Center and the D-Day Memorial if you plan a visit!

The Bower Center for the Arts is a Bedford based community arts center. It offers art exhibits, educational opportunities, and spaces for resident artists and community events. The classes I teach are  registered and taught through this center. Feel free to contact me directly to plan personalized classes for groups of at least 4 participants. 

I try to support businesses close to home. Most of my clay supplies come from Clayworks in Richmond Virginia. They also have a website at clayworks.com. If you are new to ceramics, it is very helpful to speak with knowledgeable staff about your needs. You will find Clayworks has everything from clay to glazes, tools, kilns, and wheels available for purchase. If you want to find great deals on pricing, I also find ClayKing.com is great, the shipping costs can sometimes be quite significant.

Resources for gaining skills and pottery techniques are everywhere. One of my favorite sources continues to be ceramicartsnetwork.org, where you can gain access to a wide array of happenings in the ceramics art world. If you decide that you would like to create your own glaze recipes, glazy.org is a great open source database that is free and easy to use. Nothing however, replaces years of testing and failures to create a great body of work. Potters are determined and resourceful people, who learn to literally pick up pieces and start again!