I love the whimsical sculptures that I work on.
I love teapot forms.
I like taking play on words, and making them into an object that has some humor to it,
makes you think, makes you enjoy it.
I'm Lynn Loftus, and I'm a professional potter.
I've been working in clay for 45 years.
I'm here in Marathon, Florida in the beautiful Florida Keys.
I do a lot of things that are Keys oriented.
I do make a Cheeseburger in PairODice, which is sitting in between two big wheel thrown
dice.
And I'm very technically oriented in my work.
I do laugh, though, and say I haven't been considered seriously as an artist for years
since people come in and look at my stuff, and start laughing, but I am very technically
involved in what I do as well.
Life is just a Bowl of charies, which is a thrown bowl and little clay furniture, little
chairs inside, Bowl of charies.
I make a One Night Stand, which is a little wicker night table with a lamp and ashtray,
and cocktails on it.
Just One Night Stand, very whimsical.
I do primarily throwing on the potter's wheel.
I like a combination of the round pieces with hand built.
I do teach a lot more hand building, and people on the potter's wheel.
After so many years it's really a joy to be able to share it with other people, and see
them get the passion for it as well.
If you're gonna throw on the potter's wheel you definitely need a wheel, you need your
kiln.
You can make a lot of the tools that you're using.
I sometimes use a potato peeler to get a surface on a particular pot.
Then as you go on you're gonna need your glazes to do the firing of the pieces, too, so that
they're complete.
Basically, you're placing the clay on a wheel, either a kick wheel, or an electric wheel.
We use electric wheels here, and then actually start with a little bit of speed, and muscle
to get the clay perfectly centered, and then slow down and then the finesse, and just bringing
up the walls of the pot.
The beauty of it is once you start the clay is reusable, so if you aren't doing good pieces
you can reuse the clay and do it again.
So it is good to learn because it's not real expensive to get started.
When you're starting with the clay you're starting with the wet clay.
When you make something whether it's on the wheel, or hand building then you allow it
to dry.
It can sometimes be a week or so.
It depends on the dampness of the clay.
Once it dries then you're gonna put it in the kiln for the first firing which is called
the bisque firing.
When it comes out it will be fired.
Our clay is white when it comes out of the bisque firing.
Then it's absorbent, and that's when you start doing your glazing, applying your colors,
and then after that it's fired a second time, and everything comes out with all the pizazz
and the magic.
The day you're on the wheel you're basically creating your canvas for whatever it's going
to be, so I do, I cover them in plastic 'til they're what we call leather hard because
when you're throwing any movements you're going to move it off.
So the next day when it's like leather, like shoe leather or belt leather hard that's when
you're going to add your embellishments, or handles or designs.
I define myself as a potter, so it's part of who I am at this point in my life.
It's just a joyful medium to work in.
Also, I love playing in the mud, I have never outgrown that.
This is like Confucius said, "Pick a job you love, "and you never have to work a day in
your life."
I've been very blessed to pursue a career as a potter.