Welcome to Clarissa's Clay

Clarissa making a pot Hi. I'm Clarissa Hollenbach Enck, the potter you see hard at work in the photograph. I produce functional wheel-thrown stoneware and porcelain pottery. Much of my work I decorate with natural subjects or calligraphy, brush painted with earth oxides before firing. I use sumi-e style brush painting with bamboo brushes. Its simplicity and relaxed feeling enhance those motifs. Clear glazes allow my clay bodies to show off their natural state, complimenting the natural subjects.

My work is handcrafted in the truest sense. I mix natural, crushed clays and stone to form unique clay bodies, and I formulate and make my own slips, stains and glazes. My clay bodies are aged six months to a year before they are ready for the potter's wheel and after they leave the wheel they spend thirty hours or more in the kiln through two separate firings at temperatures as high as 2330*F. The glazes I use are lead-free and durable for every day use. My work can be used safely in dishwashers, microwaves, and ovens that have not been preheated first; extreme temperature changes could cause harm. Please browse my web site to view examples of my work.

A pottery class through the Denver Free University in 1972 rekindled a passion that began when I first made mud pies and small pots after rain storms as a child in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Following that inspiration I earned a Bachelor of Art Degree from Millersville University in 1975. In 1976 and 1977 I worked as an apprentice potter at the Capricorner near Carlisle, Pennsylvania. I am a juried member of the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen and Lancaster Designer Craftsmen and a member of the Central Pennsylvania Potters Information Group.

My Studio is presently in an 18th century summer house in the Millbach area of eastern Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, where I have an annual Open House the weekend before Thanksgiving. If you visit Historic Schaefferstown's annual Cherry Fair and Pennsylvania German Folklife Festival you will find me at my potter's wheel demonstrating my art. My work is available for sale there as well as at various other art and craft shows in the south central Pennsylvania area. And, of course, my studio is open for sales by appointment.

Current and Upcoming Expositions

PA Guild of Craftsmen:
Juried Ceramicists
300 North Street, Harrisburg, PA
www.radiusgallery.com

January 1st to February 28th 2009

The Guilded Tulip:
An Expression of Fine Art
Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen
252 N. Prince Street, Lancaster, PA

September 5th to October 18th 2008

Radius:
The State Museum of Pennsylvania
300 North Street, Harrisburg, PA
www.radiusgallery.com

"Tea Traditions" - Sep. 1st to Oct 31st 2007
"Boxes" - Nov. 1st to Dec. 31st 2007
"Bottles" - Sep. 1st to Oct. 31st 2008
"Creative Kitchen" - Nov. 1st to Dec. 31st 2008

Upcoming Events

Historic Stahl's Pottery Festival 2009 Saturday June 20th (9am to 4pm)

Historic Schaefferstown, Inc. Cherry Fair Saturday June 27th (10am to 5pm)
and Early American Crafts Show 2009

Historic Schaefferstown, Inc. Fall Harvest Fair 2009 Saturday September 19th (10am to 5pm)
(Not attending due to daughter's wedding. Will attend in 2010) Sunday September 20th (12pm to 5pm)

Isaac Meier Homestead Country Fair 2009 Saturday September 26th (9am to 4pm)

Art Studio Tour 2009 Saturday November 7th (10am to 5pm)
Sunday November 8th (12am to 5pm)

Open House 2009 Saturday November 21st (10am to 5pm)
Sunday November 22nd (11am to 5pm)