I recently had the privilege of being interviewed on the renowned podcast, Tales of a Red Clay Rambler. I have been an admirer of Ben Carter and his long standing podcast about ceramics for years. So it was quite an honor when he invited me to be a guest on the show.

When l am remembering a loved one I like to think of being surrounded by their light and love. For me, sitting with candlelight sets the stage for quiet time to remember that loved one. There’s just something about the warmth of candlelight that can bring me back to the best moments with that loved one, it is very comforting.

It’s very rare, but every now and then a customer will report back to me after a purchase of an urn that the ashes didn't fit in the urn. All urns made at LuciaUrns.com are accurately made to accommodate the cremains of your loved one.

If you want to keep just a tiny bit of cremains from your loved one, these teeny, tiny keepsake urns may be right for you. They fit in the palm of your hand and have a lovely, unique specialness to them because of the size.

The past couple of weeks I have been making biodegradable urns. People often ask me about the process of how it is made, so I thought I’d share that process here.

We have all been cooped up for just about a year now with this pandemic. Not much has changed for me as a self employed potter. My working days are spent alone with my two studio dogs. As an introvert I’m not longing to be with people all day long anyway. This all being said, I do miss people and community! Even introverts need community!

Having my hands in the clay at the potters wheel can turn a not so good day into an everything is right day!
It’s not everyday a professional potter actually works at the wheel.

Sometimes a potter needs to change glazes. Even if that particular glaze is a fan favorite. This is the third iteration of the galaxy urns in the 15 years that I’ve been making them.

Springtime is here in western Massachusetts. The buds on the trees are just beginning to open. The sprouts on the ground are coming up, soon the fiddleheads will be ready for harvesting along the river. This spring has a darkness over it though… with the global pandemic, covid19. Such a difficult time for everyone around the world. It is a time of pause, a time of introspection. Everything is on hold. Still spring comes. New life continues.

In these uncertain times I look for hope in the regenerative power of the earth, and I remind myself through my pottery, that I am making something out of a piece of pliable earth. I realize that the earth sustains me in many ways, and that I have a place in this world to bring beauty and hope through my art.

Fun Stuff! Northeast Solar came by and did a little video on me.

I am so happy with the solar array they installed two years ago. It truly helps my pottery studio to run!

Yes it is all the title says…. sometimes it’s more so than other times. This Blue Galaxy glaze is my most difficult glaze to create. Sometimes it’s blue, sometimes dark blue, other times lighter blue. It’s four layers of glaze, one of the layers is sprayed on, the other layers are dipped.
This also happens to be my most popular urn.

I have made a new line of cremation urns this past summer. They are glazed in a glaze my son Andrew readily named, “Green River”. He was a lifeguard at the time, who looked at that beautiful color for three summers. There are so many shades of green on this beautiful earth. So many names I could have given this urn, but to me the perfect name for it is “Tranquil Waters”.

Ever wonder how those little Soul Circle Stones are made?

They start with the tiniest bit of clay, the size of a golf ball. I place it on the potters wheel, center the clay, and proceed to make a little hollow ring. Take a look at the photos to see the progression.

There are many potters in the valley of western Massachusetts. Two groups of potters have a pottery tour every year. I belong to the Asparagus Valley Pottery Trail. We have our tour the last weekend of April. The other group, Hilltown 6 have their pottery tour every July. The Fuller Craft Museum near Boston

This past January my 36 year old niece lost her year long battle with cancer. Christina loved everything butterfly. So I asked her husband and my brother if they would like me to make a biodegradable urn for her that would have butterflies, and be reminiscent of the grasses of the field.