Barbara Williams

I began taking classes and making wheel thrown pottery in Tampa, FL in 1980 when I was between jobs as a public health educator.  I soon became hooked on the challenge of working on the wheel. It was a thrill when I got the smallest vessel made.  It was also a thrill to open the kiln and discover beautiful clay glazes (and sometimes times ugly mistakes).  Since 1980 I’ve continued to make pottery, sometimes part-time; sometimes full-time.  We lived in L.A. (that’s Lower Alabama) in the heart of hurricane country for close to ten years.  While on Dauphin Island, I was a member of a coop artists’ gallery, Pelican’s Briefs.  In 2005 we moved to Las Cruces and I began making crystalline glazes and porcelain ceramics. These glazes are a challenge because the crystals grow at about 2000 degrees and the kiln must be held at that temperature for at least 3 hours.  The glazes also run and a false bottom is attached to catch the excess glaze. 

I make my own glazes which are food safe and contain no lead. Because the crystal pottery has minute cracks, these vessels should not be used for serving food.   My functional pottery can be used in the oven, microwave and dishwasher.