Teresa Pietsch

Teresa Pietsch’s work connects both the functional and the decorative, seeking to make pots that people want to touch, hold, and use. Finding inspiration and meaning from trees and plants, her pots reflect ideas that are centered in life, growth, and experience. Teresa grew up in Washington State and graduated from Seattle Pacific University. She began working in clay at West Point Grey Community Studio in Vancouver, BC and at Claymakers Community Studio in Durham, NC. In 2010 she started as a full time studio potter as a resident artist at the EnergyXchange in Burnsville, NC. In the fall of 2013 she set up her own studio near Penland, NC. Statement: My work is all about color and subtle texture and the red earthenware as the lifeblood underneath. I decorate each piece using a mono-print slip transfer method. I start by painting colored slip onto newsprint and then placing the newsprint onto leather hard clay and rubbing it until the image has been transferred onto the clay. This creates a weathered texture and adds an aspect of imperfection. I then embellish the image with slip dots or carved lines for another layer of texture and detail. Most of my work is fired in a gas soda kiln. I spray a solution of soda ash into the kiln towards the end of the firing and this glazes the pots. The soda glaze and a light reduction, gives me a variation to the surface that I find appealing. My hope is that my work brings a smile and joy to the person using it.