Artist Feature || Clay People Napkin Rings x Linen Napkins

We are a mother-daughter team from the Saskatchewan prairies. Our love for pottery began to blossom in 2017, after taking classes at a local pottery club. What was once a hobby is now a thriving business, and our one-of-a-kind pieces have found homes across the globe.

Meet Mary

I took a short pottery workshop in grade 9 (2015) through my school and I really liked it. I asked my mom if we could take a pottery class through the city of Weyburn at Signal Hill Art Center. That winter, we began going into Weyburn once a week to start learning the process. I had many great teachers in those first months and knew very quickly that I had found my future in pottery. Once I got my driver’s license, I went to the studio every possible day after school. In April 2017, my mom, Lynn and I decided to start a small business from our love of creating pottery, and The Clay People began. We have enjoyed continued support from the local pottery studio members, the community, and our loyal customers. In the fall of 2018, we bought a small studio building that we set up on our farm in the Weyburn area. We work exclusively at the farm now, with a room that holds our finished items, the studio where we build, and a corner in the farm shop where the kiln is and we do all our glazing. I look after our social media page, and the photographing of our products. My Mom looks after the glaze making/mixing, clay reclaim, and most of the kiln loading and maintenance. We are excited for what the future holds for The Clay People as our business continues to grow. 

Meet Lynn

I have always loved practical skills, such as sewing and crochet, so when Mary asked (regularly) if we could go to Weyburn and take a pottery class, and I was game. I thought it would be a fun hobby, and something that we could enjoy doing together over the winter of 2016. It didn’t take me long to know that I loved pottery too! I found myself up in the Signal Hill Art Center most days, learning everything I could about clay and the running of a studio. I learned how to build pottery but also how to mix glazes, order supplies, reclaim clay, studio safety, along with loading, unloading and firing the kilns. Living almost 30 minutes from the studio, it didn’t take long to realize we needed to make a change, and we were lucky to find a cute shed that we use now for our pottery studio. It is not very big, so Mary and I take turns working in there most days. It has been a very enjoyable journey, and seeing the improvements in our skill level, and finding new customers through social media has been very exciting. We look forward to the future and what it holds for The Clay People.