Potters' Tour
Windblown Studio (formerly The Clay House) - Rita Nichols
Directions
to Windblown Studio:
1. RT 119 To Marchand
2. Turn east on Leasure Run
Rd.
3. Go 2 1/2 miles and turn left on Wulfert Rd
4. Go 1/2 mile, The studio
is the building with the blue roof on the right.
The Clay House gallery is now inside Windblown Studio.
Rita
Nichols pulled up stakes in New Hampshire, sold her community-based studio
there, and moved back home to start another teaching studio and gallery.
While working to build a new teaching studio, Windblown Studio, Rita set
up a gallery called The Clay House on Rt 119. After the new studio was complete,
she moved both the teaching facility and the gallery to the new studio.
When she is not teaching, she focuses on unique pieces with careful attention
to detail. More information can be found at www.windblownstuido.com
As a freelance artist she has worked in various mediums; oils, pastel, photography, lithography, woodcut, stone sculpture and clay. As a scientific illustrator and graphic artist, she felt that working with clay was an antidote to the strict and meticulous methodology of commercial art. Finally, clay has become more than her personal medium. It is her main focus and gives her the satisfaction and freedom of expression that has always been, for her, the essential appeal of clay.
When
I was five, my mother gave me some modeling clay and I was hooked. Clay
has always appealed to my tactile sense and stimulated my creativity.
The idea that I can shape a chunk of the earth into a form and then
fire it to a stoneware state still amazes me. I love making a dish that
I can bake in or eat out of. I hope that by sharing my pots and the
knowledge of making them, I can encourage people to recognize the connection
we all have with the earth.
My studio used to be relegated to a dark basement, a cold porch, a drafty barn, or a crowded spare room. When I rented dedicated space in an old mill building with tall ceilings and great light, I realized just how important the environment is to the creative process.
Windblown Studio was designed with a focus on providing that environment. It has high ceilings, white walls, wooden beams, warm floors, and lots of open space. It is a peaceful yet stimulating place in which to work.