Sally Cornwell

Sally Cornwell, naturalist, poet and teacher, has had her hands in clay for over 40 years. Starting off with a few classes in high school and college, her enthusiasm for clay grew into a fifteen year apprenticeship with a local potter, a membership in the League of NH Craftsmen, and transitioned into many years on the Crafts Fair circuit from Boston and New York to Philadelphia and Washington, DC.

Now, as her roots grow more deeply into the soil of her hillside home, she creates pieces that speak of the earth and the creatures that surround her.

Artist’s Statement:

Inspired by nature, my work tends to draw on the animal world and the woods and fields that surround me.  Working with some of the oldest techniques in pottery—pinch, slab and coil—I create pieces using the natural color and texture of the clays, then finishing them with oxides and glazes I have made.  Whether they are leaves with bug holes eaten in them or animal-shaped drinking vessels, bowls that nestle comfortingly in your hands or platters depicting animals, both native and exotic, I want my pieces to be functional and decorative while exploring the contrasts and symmetries of man’s connection to the natural world, both physical and spiritual.