Shishir Chokshi often gets requests for large pottery vessels at his Tire City potters location, but he hasn’t been able to fulfill them until recently because they can be tricky to make.
But they are Harrison Hickman’s forte.
“One challenge is making sure the pot stays centered,” Hickman said. “With large pots, it gets more difficult.”
Hickman also makes his pots in sections and pieces them together.
“When you make them in sections, you have to keep the right moisture and time it just right or they will crack when they are fired,” he said.
A native of Pendleton, S.C., Hickman started taking pottery his senior year of high school. He discovered he had a natural flair for working with clay, and he continued his studies with Piedmont Technical College’s professional pottery program in Edgefield, S.C., after high school.
Hickman is collaborating with Chokshi on the larger pots. Usually, Hickman fires and glazes his works. Chokshi will decorate these pieces after Hickman has created them.
In addition to working on the project with Chokshi, Hickman teaches at the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art and has a private studio in North Augusta. Some of his pieces are also on display at the Zimmerman Gallery.
