Today we’d like to introduce you to Audrey Pefferman.
Hi Audrey, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I got into pottery like many people, as a class in high school. I took it again in college but didn’t pursue it much after that until a friend opened up a studio in Moab called Desert Sun Ceramics in the fall of 2016. That winter I spent all of my free time in the studio making things for friends (very clunky mugs that were borderline functional) and by the spring I had improved enough to start selling some pieces at a local shop called Moab Made. Having supportive pottery mentors in the community here made learning more about pottery an attainable goal and under their guidance, I got more and more confident in my own style.
Another big part of my life that has influenced my pottery is my work – I am a full-time archaeologist in the SE part of the state, and spend a lot of time studying and documenting the amazing pottery left behind around the Bears Ears region by the Ancestral Puebloan people. I work really hard to not appropriate a culture that I don’t belong to (this is really important to me!), but I am constantly amazed by the fine details and amazing craftmanship of what those artists were producing. I think this gets reflected in my work in the forms themselves (balanced weight, thin walls, comfortable handles, and nice lip to drink out of) and also the surface decorations and small details that I obsess over. I also spend A LOT of time outside for work and am constantly finding inspiration in the sandstone geology, plants, and colors found in the four corners region.
I think ultimately the credit for “how I’ve gotten to where I am today” should go entirely to the art community that I have been lucky enough to fall into. From Moab to Bend, OR to the Wild Earth Market community in SLC, I have been surrounded by support and encouragement from generous potters and other artists who have shared their experiences and knowledge with me.
Can you talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Pottery can be one of the most unforgiving mediums to work in and I have definitely experienced the full range of emotions when it comes to producing it.
Not only is it incredibly easy to lose pieces through the process of making them (throwing takes forever to learn, its easy to bump or drop, or crack pieces as you work on them), but then you have to put all of these items you have spent hundreds of hours on into a kiln and heat them up to over a thousand or two thousand degrees and trust that they will make it out alive. I’ve lost whole kilns to glaze malfunctions or dropped shelves of fresh work, or sometimes just had pieces turn out differently than expected. I’ve learned a lot about letting go of really strict expectations of my work and getting more comfortable rolling with the surprises that come from working with clay.
Time management is another major struggle with pottery, especially trying to balance that and a full-time job. It can be crazy! And then adding in friendships, relationships, and other hobbies like riding bikes or rock climbing. There is just never time enough in the day to do it all.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I think one of the aspects of my work that I am most proud of is just my high standards for each piece. I really put a lot of time into each thing that I make, and a lot of time perfecting the details of my pottery. Spending that time can be exhausting, but I think those finishing details of making sure the weight is right, making sure the handle is smooth and comfortable, and sanding the bottoms of each pot after its fired can really make the difference between a mug you reach for every day or one that sits in the back of your cupboard.
Another influence on my pottery is that in addition to archaeology I studied art history. I think this gave me a major appreciation for a wide range of art and the many ways it can be interpreted but especially the intersection of things that are considered “crafts” with “fine art”. For most of us, visiting a museum every once in a while might be the main way we consume fine art, but crafts can show up as something we use every day. In a lot of ways, I think the things we choose to surround ourselves with can shape the way we experience our worlds.
It’s easy to buy everything that you need from a mass-produced line in a box store, but choosing to support local artists and their work, makes you appreciate each thing a little bit more because of the experience and time spent making it. I think that’s a nice way to go through life.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I think any time you make something – whether it’s creating pottery or just cooking dinner for a friend you take a risk. Are people going to like this design? Is the food going to taste good? Normally these types of risks get blown over quickly, but I think social media has changed that equation.
Now every time you choose to post a picture or a video – that little piece of vulnerability is put up to a jury of your followers and judged. It’s a harsh world out there to try new ideas! I think that is something to keep in mind with the way we consume media, remember there is a real person behind that photo who took a risk by posting some piece of themselves! The other side of that coin, which is maybe more important to keep in mind, is taking risks is the only way we improve.
You can’t learn anything if you aren’t willing to fail. In everything (pottery, rock climbing, whatever), the most valuable successes come from previous failures, and being willing to take the risk and try it again reflects a lot about how we show up in the world.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/odd_tree_pottery/
Image Credits
Julia Duke Photo
