Artists

Helene Armitage has been creating handmade stoneware since wandering into a pottery class by accident while attending Mercyhurst College. She quickly fell in love with the zen-like process of manipulating clay from an unrefined state to the creation of a piece of art. Her preference is classic pottery shapes, including gently curved basins and thin necked bottles. She loves to create intricate patterns with glaze on her work. Her experience includes teaching college level pottery classes, and in addition to pottery, she creates oil and acrylic paintings.

Mark Tempelmeyer has been making pottery for a much shorter period of time than Helene. In the mid-2000s, while wooing her, he built her a pottery studio in her home. He created himself a comfortable place in the studio to plink on a guitar and sip wine while Helene worked. However, on the first day she used the studio, she convinced him to sit down and the wheel and throw, and he was hooked. Mark loves the chemistry and science of clay and glazes, and especially the element of pottery of trying something that's never been done before. The comfortable guitar place in the studio is now where the clay is stored.

At some point, the love that we both share for each other is fueled by our love of art and creativity.

Both of us are veterans of the world of high tech. But we much more greatly enjoy the organic, natural world of creating pottery.

Read more about what it feels like to throw pottery here