John Thomas

medium: ceramics

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Black Teapot 2010 Ceramics	Drape Molded Dish 2010 Ceramics	Engraved Teapot 2008 Ceramics
Lidded Baking Dish 2010 Ceramics	One Gallon Lidded Jar 2010 Ceramics	Stoneware Mortar & Pestle 2010 Ceramics
Stoneware Pitcher 2008 Ceramics	Stoneware Teapot - 2 Pint 2010 Ceramics	Stoneware Teapot 2010 Ceramics
Teacup - 5 ounce 2010 Ceramics

Contact information
PO Box 94
Downsville, WI 54735
Phone Number: 715-664-8368
Email Address: johnhthomas22@gmail.com
Fax number: 715-664-8368
Web site: www.simply-dunn.com

Artist statement
As a potter I enjoy making things that are useful in my daily life, and hopefully in the lives of others--things that when well made have the power to enrich the human spirit. The tea cup should enhance the experience of drinking the tea, both visually and physically. It should display the tea nicely, keep it hot and feel good in the user’s hands and against her lips.

The forms are traditional and influenced by nature: the woods, gardens, fields, animals and the human form. Living and working in a small rural community with the beauty and wildness of the river bottoms outside my door keeps me connected. The natural world suggests shapes, colors and textures, changing with the seasons.

Ancient and modern pots from around the world provide inspiration. The pots which interest me most have been made by hand using the wheel and a few simple tools, and are intended for daily use. I love to look at ancient pots in museums and books, and imagine their makers celebrating a load of pots well made and fired!

I love making and selling pottery out of my yard, where I can show the man who delivers our firewood how I make pots. I enjoy frequent conversations with customers and neighbors who stop by the showroom--whether I see them from the window of the house or the workshop, I walk out to greet them. What a joy to feel connected to place and community as I work.

Biography
John’s interest in clay came early, playing in the creek behind his home, and discovered ceramics in high school. As a young man he was offered an apprenticeship in central Japan, an opportunity that would prove formative. The local artisan potters there served as a model for the kind of pottery business John would build when he moved to Downsville, Wisconsin and established Dunn County Pottery in 1973.

John uses local earthenware and kaolin as well as clays from the eastern U.S., glazed and fired in a wood or gas kiln for a warm and varied effect.

He enjoys making pots intended for daily household activities: storage jars, tableware, vases, cooking ware and garden pots.

John’s workshop and showroom are near the home he shares with his wife, Kathy. They recently completed the renovation of an historic schoolhouse which serves as gallery, gift shop and special event space.