Welcome to My World

Hi there!! My name is Beth Sullivan and I am the Chief Operating Officer for Cottage Pottery Shop. Sounds like a big title doesn't it? Truth be known, I don't have a list of college degrees in Art or residencies at famous studios. I am just a small town country girl that took a pottery class with her best friend and was bitten by "Penelope The Pottery Bug". That little bug resides in my brain and provides the creativity, desire and motivation to play with clay for a living.

I love to make vessels that function in everyday life, are comfortable to hold and beautiful to admire. If I can put a smile on your face or simply make you feel special when using my pottery, I have attained my true goal! Most of my work is made on a pottery wheel, but I also build vessels using slabs of clay or press clay through an extruder. I use ivory and speckled brownstone clay which is fired to 2232 degrees Fahrenheit. All functional pieces are dishwasher, microwave and oven safe.  

I look at shapes of objects and how it affects the function of the piece. I love color and enjoy hand painting pieces to give them "personality". When I sit at my pottery wheel, I usually know exactly what I want or need to make. However, some of my favorite pieces started by just slapping a lump of clay down, with no purpose, and letting the clay guide my hands. To sit at that wheel and transform a lump of clay into a useful piece of art still, after 30 years,amazes me!!!