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Gildersleeve Pottery Studio

"The studio worth finding!"

Offering classes in wheel thrown pottery, hand-building, weaving and fiber arts

Owner and Teacher, Debbie Altschwager

Debbie

Artist's Statement

I earned my teaching degree from the University of Wisconsin and I have taught fiber arts since 1978. I have had a working studio since 1982. My curiosity for learning new techniques and understanding why things work soon lead me to discover the wonders of clay. Something amazing happens when you work with clay. The clay has a life. You can feel it as your hands move the clay on the potters' wheel.

Georgia O'Keefe once said, "I found I could say things with color and shapes that I couldn't say any other way --things I had no words for." I too have found that working with my hands has given me a voice where spoken words could not. The feel of a handwoven fabric, a hand spun yarn or the sensation of moving clay on the potters' wheel is magical. Forms are created. Forms evolve. The forms take on life and personality of their own.

In the age of high-tech innovations and conveniences, I believe that we need to remember what has come before. To enjoy the beauty of art and making art. I have chosen to teach the skills I have learned and honed over 30 years, in the hopes that others will learn to create and appreciate art as well.

  Debbie Altschwager       12 Gildersleeve Ave       Collinsville, CT 06019       (860) 693-6460       gildersleevepotterystudio@gmail.com