Leaf Jar with Handle by Mary Weisgram

Handmade by Mary Weisgram in Ames, Iowa.

Mary Weisgram, is a functional potter working in stoneware and porcelain.  Her work is influenced by years of rambling through the woods near her birthplace in southern Minnesota.  These pieces reflect her love of organic textures and the colors of the woodland floor, fossils and stones.  Trained first as a painter, she uses vessel forms layered with engobes (slips), stains and glazes as a canvas for translating these “fossils” of her childhood.

The repetition of her throwing method and natural rhythm enables her to unconsciously personalize the forms.  For these same reasons she works with a limited color palette and with relatively few forms.  One group of pots leads to another, changing subtly with mood and experience, exposing the richness of variety possible while working within a theme.  Her pottery reflects her love of organic textures and the colors of the woodland floor, fossils and stones. 

Find more of Mary's work here.