Debra Steidel-Rollin

Over 34 years ago, at the ripe age of 17, I discovered my life’s work and passion…Clay. Since those first years, my work has gone through many evolutions of refinement and growth. To make a living as a potter has not been an easy journey. It has been one of triumph and disappointment, joy and hard work. It is a way of life I would never trade. My medium is porcelain clay. Each piece is an original design and made one by one. Starting with a ball of clay, I throw a form on the potters’ wheel. I later trim a “foot” and after thorough drying they are placed in a kiln to be fired, then once more after the glaze is applied. One of the glazes I uses is a “crystalline” glaze. In simple terms, although it is far from simple, it is the combination of ingredients in the glaze, the heat of the kiln and the slow cooling after reaching peak temperature which creates the crystals. It can be best described as “frost” growing on a window pane. Although they look like bronze, the lids on top of the jars are each sculpted porcelain and fired with a metallic glaze. Our world has become so saturated with machine made production items that have no life or emotion. Fine crafted works of art are becoming a rarity. I strive to create true works of art that can be cherished by their collector and enjoyed by generations to come.