Cooley Buy Pottery

12/13/2025

I believe I'm on the last bisque load of the year. Its been a crazy busy and most productive year of my pottery life this year. I've pushed my kiln to near limit firing 2, 3 sometimes 4 times a week. Over 4000 lbs. thrown this year. Its been a good year.

11/29/2025

My favorite bowl of the year. 12" across, 8" deap on Sheffield brown clay using 4 different manufacturers glaze combinations . Love how the drips pulled so uniformly and the depth of the green/ blue which dramatical changes depending on the light. The gold inlays around the rim just pops against the raw clay. Yup my #1 pick for 2025, hard to give this one up.

09/24/2025

Hot out of the kiln! Oh-la-la happy dance followed up with "oh crap". A few mugs suffer from my heavy handed glazing causing the glaze to run to far. BUT 3 survived and more will be glaze with the same combination of 4 glazes.

09/06/2025

Yahoo another good kiln opening! Its going to be hard deciding what goes to the Big E and what to the shop.

Jake 3D printed the sign for me which really pops and outshines others around us. If you look closely at the letters they have a stain glass look about them, wicked cool I think.

09/04/2025

Kiln opening tonight which is always anticipated like Christmas morning. Have had few pieces of coal in the stocking disappointments lately which has seriously stressed me out with shop opening and Big E just weeks away. But tonight, oh tonight on the 2nd shelf, my kiln hot spot, "oh my stars!" the kiln goddesses are blessing me with this 15" wide beauty! 4 or 5 layers of glaze to get this deep sea color and depth.

Oh and lookie here! 3rd shelf a refire success. Went from a disappointing baby puke yucky color to almost a "oh-la-la." My secret... just slap on ramdon glaze see what happens can't get any worse then it was.

Couple more layers to go, fingers crossed!

02/10/2025

I will not run out of mugs this year.

I will not run out of mugs this year.

2025 mantra

01/30/2025

Update:
GREAT feedback everyone thank you. Will not be making these for sale.
Thank you!

Question for you all. Have made a few mug warmers but wondering if people like this idea and would use them? My design but I copied the idea fron Jon the Potter. Just add a tea light set mug on top. Yes or no?

01/12/2025

Another barn quilt pre-bisque firing and post firing still cooling. Love seeing the colors pop. More decorative work, 2nd glaze application and final firing today. Love my job!

01/05/2025

People ask me all the time if they can buy one of our community built barn tiles we did a few years ago. Sorry they are not for sale. Instead my January challenge to myself is to make smaller more manageable one. This one is approximately 18 x 26. I'm using black and white clay and slip with a pop of color. Still thinking about glaze choices. I may have made the big tile a little thin, 50/50 it survives. Drying them super slow to prevent warping and cracking. Time will tell. 4 or 5 others in the works.

hand built and wheel throw pottery

12/30/2024

You discover a unique piece of bark then trip over it for nearly a year because "its just screaming to be something!" You periodically examine it, ponder its possibilities and potential. Then you finally give youself a free afternoon to play and just let the imagination take over.