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Wendy Eggerman
"I make pottery to brighten your day and elevate the moment."
Eggerman's inspiration is found in the kitchen and enhanced by her love of antiques. Hobnail glass and lace are main influences. One thing she particularly enjoys about antiques is how they subtly record the past without saying a thing. Objects record their story with every stain, scratch, rust, tarnish, and carry that with them. On her pieces, the thin surface of terra sigillata allows bits of texture to show through and become the start of the pots story. Over time the terra sigillata surface will patina and as the piece gets used, will continue to record that use. Overall, Eggerman works to create functional pottery with a depth that will be revealed over time and use.
Eggerman throws all her pots on a wheel with earthenware clay. She fires her work to cone 3, which is lower than traditional high-fire pottery, but higher than traditional low-fire pottery. This in-between temperature results in a sturdy pot, while using less energy. Before the pots go in the kiln, she brushes them with slip and multiple coats of terra sigillata (which is a fine particle slip). They are all glazed inside with a simple off-white glossy glaze, the outside is coated in coconut oil after the last firing. The coconut oil starts the patina process (similar to seasoning cast iron).
Eggerman received her BA in American history and minored in art at Warren Wilson College, during this time she also worked as a ceramic studio technician. Post college she completed a residency at the Iowa Ceramic Center. Eggerman has had the pleasure of traveling and working in a variety of studios and meeting many wonderful clay people along the way. Her work can be found in the permanent collections of the Pottery Museum of Red Wing, American Museum of Ceramic Art, and the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. Eggerman has most recently been awarded the Red Wing Collectors Society Foundation Award from Northern Clay Center. She is a full time potter in Saint Paul, MN.
Eggerman's inspiration is found in the kitchen and enhanced by her love of antiques. Hobnail glass and lace are main influences. One thing she particularly enjoys about antiques is how they subtly record the past without saying a thing. Objects record their story with every stain, scratch, rust, tarnish, and carry that with them. On her pieces, the thin surface of terra sigillata allows bits of texture to show through and become the start of the pots story. Over time the terra sigillata surface will patina and as the piece gets used, will continue to record that use. Overall, Eggerman works to create functional pottery with a depth that will be revealed over time and use.
Eggerman throws all her pots on a wheel with earthenware clay. She fires her work to cone 3, which is lower than traditional high-fire pottery, but higher than traditional low-fire pottery. This in-between temperature results in a sturdy pot, while using less energy. Before the pots go in the kiln, she brushes them with slip and multiple coats of terra sigillata (which is a fine particle slip). They are all glazed inside with a simple off-white glossy glaze, the outside is coated in coconut oil after the last firing. The coconut oil starts the patina process (similar to seasoning cast iron).
Eggerman received her BA in American history and minored in art at Warren Wilson College, during this time she also worked as a ceramic studio technician. Post college she completed a residency at the Iowa Ceramic Center. Eggerman has had the pleasure of traveling and working in a variety of studios and meeting many wonderful clay people along the way. Her work can be found in the permanent collections of the Pottery Museum of Red Wing, American Museum of Ceramic Art, and the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. Eggerman has most recently been awarded the Red Wing Collectors Society Foundation Award from Northern Clay Center. She is a full time potter in Saint Paul, MN.
