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Blog: http://rhoneypots.blogspot.com/

The Name (R Honey Pots):

Abuzz with dreams of beekeeping and pottery, we filed for the business name, "R Honey Pots", for many reasons.

Both our last names start with R and, as we're a partnership, we decided to condense ourselves into 'R' (and we're so funny punny; R/Our)
Until we discovered the real pain, time-consuming, and truly golden qualities of honey harvesting, we figured that we would be making custom pottery Honey Pots to sell our honey.

BUT, honey pots don't keep the honey so well. And it's a full time business just to process the honey. So now the name represents the dual nature of our business- Pottery and Beekeeping. We extract hives humanely and give the bees new homes and ways to replenish the native population. But we eat all the excess honey (and so do a few choice friends and family members who truly value the treasure of raw honey). I make pottery full-time, an exploration in self-employment that affords me the availability to throw all my stuff in the car to capture a swarm at 2 in the afternoon.

The Process:

First I throw the basic forms on my wheel. Then, when they are leather-hard, I trim the bottoms and add extensions/handles/spouts. When they are bone dry, I freehand with a black or other colored engobe/colored slip and etch away the details (a process called “scraffito”). Each piece is original & unique. Finally, I bisque fire the pots and dip them in an opalescent clear glaze before performing the final glaze fire.

All my glazes are nontoxic. They are high-fired stoneware (cone 5 or 2205^o) and are microwave, oven, and dishwasher safe

Artist Statement:

I believe that daily interaction with art makes for happier people. I am driven by the notion that bringing art to the level of day-to-day is empowering and enables people to perceive themselves as artists instead of relegating that title only to those who post Art on the unapproachable walls of galleries and museums. Most of my work is functional in order that the otherwise inane tasks of waking, feeding, drinking may be an artistic experience. I hope that, in using my pottery, people will be reminded that every moment, every meal, every experience is art; not always beautiful, not always pristine; chaotic yet marvelously abundant with patterns of seemingly intentional perfection in the minutest of details. I make pottery because I love it. It brings me peace. In my work, I attempt to bridge the gap between fine and functional art, bringing the sacred into the mundane.

Natural forms, processes and images are my focus; from octopus tentacles and leafy sea dragon fins to cat tails and mantis mandibles. Incorporating these organic forms into the very shape as well as the drawings on my pottery, I hope to engender an appreciation and compassion for all creatures that share this planet. Living on the Russian River, I’ve become intimately involved in it’s endless and changing ocean journeys, as well as the creatures residing within. Working with bees further instills in me not only a seasonal awareness, but a profound appreciation for the interconnectedness of all things.