Jennifer Hamilton

About the Artist

  Jennifer Hamilton is a ceramic artist working in Frederick County, Maryland.   She is the owner and operator of Dusty Road Pottery, a ceramic studio that offers ceramic programs to children and adults.  She is a member of the Countryside Artisan Gallery and Studio Tour, where she showcases her work four times a year through open studio tours.   Guests have an opportunity to see recent work by individual artists, view demonstrations and learn about techniques and processes.  As a member of the National K-12 Ceramics, an organization that helps to sustain and showcase excellence in American ceramic art education, she encourages students to apply for the annual, national, student showcase, and helps with portfolio and application submissions.   She is a past board member of Create Art Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, and a new member of the Washington Kiln Club.  She has been a mentor to students who are in the process of developing their work and launching careers.   Currently, she is designing several signature ceramic pieces for The Reserve Tours LLC, an organization that highlights the Agricultural Reserve area of Montgomery and Frederick Counties, Maryland.  She studied fine arts at Washington University in Saint Louis, Missouri and received her degree from University of Wisconsin, in Madison where she studied under renowned artist, Don Reitz.  Her work can be seen locally through several galleries in Maryland and Virginia and on the internet at www.JenniferHamiltonPottery.com.

Artist's Statement

I think a clay surface that reveals the artist's process, adds character, interest, and natural beauty, to the pottery used in our homes. I build forms that often expose my tools and methods of construction, by forming slabs of clay, often impressed with overlapping textures, much like a monoprint. Additional handles, spouts, and feet, provide further function and allow for more sculptural and design considerations. The glazed surface is chosen to add color, accentuate the texture, and make the surface safe for food. I have an interest in forms that are useful, animated, and able to reveal something of the hand of its maker. It is equally important to me, that they should be interesting both visually and tactility. In this way, a simple pottery form can elevate an everyday experience such as eating or washing the dishes or enhance a special occasion.