Back when she lived in a Boston apartment, Mary Lafleur had lots of plants, but no pots to hang them in.
So, Lafleur took up pottery. And for three years, she turned out flowerpot after flowerpot.
Finally, her teacher took her aside. Um, the teacher said, had Lafleur ever thought about making something other than pots?
She laughs telling the story. Not really, she said.
But the teacher encouraged her to try something else, so Lafleur made a coffee cup for her dad.
`He had to use two hands to life it,` she said.
Other (better) pieces followed, and today Lafleur runs Pinewoods Potters, where she makes all kinds of pottery, some of which will be on display and for sale at Pottery Fest 2011. Set for Saturday and Sunday, May 7 and 8, at the Shaker Site near Albany International Airport, the festival will feature more than 40 ceramic and sculptural artists.
Like Lafleur, the participating potters belong to the Collar City Clay Guild. Based in Troy, the guild hosts monthly meetings with speakers, workshops and lectures. One thing members don’t often do is bring in pieces in progress, which is one of the reasons LaFleur gets a kick out of the pottery fest.
`It’s so much fun to walk around and say, ‘Oh my golly, I didn’t know you were doing such great work,’` she said.
Lafleur’s own work is still chiefly functional, although she does do some pieces that tend more toward the artistic. She loves working with clay, adding stamps and textures to create one-of-a-kind pieces.
`It’s mine,` she said. `Your uniqueness comes out.`
Lee Glasheen squeezed in an interview about her pottery during a `marathon glazing session` for pieces she’s working on for the festival. Glasheen made some pieces earlier in her life, but working a full-time job and raising a family left her with little time to pursue pottery. So, she put her pottery wheel away, thinking that maybe she’d sell it.
Her daughter, however, urged her not to.
`I didn’t, and I’m grateful,` Glasheen said.
Today, Glasheen runs Spring Avenue Pottery. As an art teacher, Glasheen has worked in all kinds of mediums, but pottery holds a special appeal to her. Like Lafleur, she likes creating something unique.
`I like to change things,` she said. `I don’t like to make the same thing over and over.`
It’s a funny thing — when she sits down with clay, ideas just come to her. She’ll be making one thing and suddenly envision another.
The pottery festival is a chance not only to sell some of her wares, but to share them.
`People ask questions, and I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like to talk about what they do,` she said. `It’s sharing what you love and what you love to do.`
Donald Glennon’s love of pottery led him to open a shop and studio downstairs from his childhood home in Schenectady. Glennon moved back to the home when his dad got sick, helping his mom care for him. Today, he lives upstairs and works downstairs at Dragonfly Pottery.
After seeing a local woman’s pottery, Glennon’s interest was sparked and he took some classes at Skidmore College. Classes at Hudson Valley Community College followed, and then some at Northeast Ceramics.
Today, Glennon teaches his own classes, gathering potters around a table in the back of his shop. Some of the resulting pieces join his on shelves out front for customers to peruse.
Pottery is fun and relaxing as well as rewarding.
`It’s just that I’m creating something from the earth,` Glennon said. `It’s a forever-changing thing for me.`
Glennon is so intent on creating new things that he frequently tries different glazes. On a recent trip to the supply store, he raised eyebrows when he bought several glazes.
`I need to find myself,` Glennon joked. `I just can’t be satisfied.`
Glennon was part of the guild when it started with about eight people. It’s grown to 45, and the pottery fest is one of its two main events each year. The other is a soup fest in Troy for which members make bowls. Attendees pay an admission fee, then get to pick a bowl and fill it with soup from participating restaurants. At the end of the day, people get to take their bowls home.
The pottery festival, meanwhile, is a bit of a spin on the idea of a pottery trail, in which people stop at pottery shops throughout an area. The festival features all the potters in one place — although the Shaker site is big enough that they’ll be somewhat spread out, with potters inside and outside.
The festival runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Admission is $5, with kids younger than 12 admitted free. A dollar from each admission will benefit local food pantries.
For more information, e-mail [email protected].“