Nichole has made Southern California her home for the past 25 years and has enjoyed creating pottery for just as long. She makes all her pottery on a wheel using porcelain clay and mixes her own crystalline glazes from raw materials. Nichole has spent the last 15 years specializing in a rare glazing process called Crystalline Glazing, where crystals are grown in the glaze during firing, similar to how geodes and gems grow in nature. She has created several of her own color recipes and is constantly testing and searching for more. In the pottery world, the success rate is much lower for this glaze than others, often resulting in poor color, no crystals, or breaking under the intense heat. Due to the lengthy time required to master the glaze, the great care that must be taken in its mixing and firing, and the small success rate, Nichole is one of the few potters today who use this glaze.
Over these years, Nichole has won several awards for her work, including 1st Place Best of Show in 2023 at the 29 Palms Art Gallery at Joshua Tree National Park. Nichole has been published about her work in Palm Springs Life Magazine, Inland Empire Magazine, and Coachella Valley Weekly. Nichole has shown in several local galleries and expositions. She is also an active participant in the Highway 62 Art Tours; as well as, various other venues throughout Southern California.
Statement
I have loved pottery all my life. From playing in the mud as a kid to my first thrown pot in college, I was hooked. Nature is where I seek my inspiration. Itʼs beauty is fascinating, it never remains the same for long. Part of a poem by Robert Frost has always captivated me: “Natureʼs first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leafʼs a flower; But only so an hour.” I feel Natureʼs mysteries envelope me when I create; magical, ever moving, changing, like clay moving through my hands on the wheel. This fuels my passion and defines my purpose: To attempt to capture a piece of that nature and hold its allure and elegance in my work.
My true passion is crystalline glazing. I throw all my pottery on a wheel using porcelain clay and mix my own glazes from raw materials. My greatest joy comes when I am able to harmonize porcelain clay with the crystalline glaze in such a way that one cannot tell where the clay ends and the glaze begins. Each piece then holds a depth and a life all of its own.
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