"I finish my pots in my wood salt kiln because I love exploring the element of controlled chance. And I have always been intrigued with, and admired and respected, the mystical surfaces of pots decorated by fire, ash and salt. It is important to me not only to carry on the tradition of creating useful pots using traditional and historical techniques, but to work within the traditional role of the potter and make engaging, well-crafted, useful pots.
I want my pots to speak loudly about I how I handle the clay and I want them to show evidence of my throwing, hand building, decorating and firing process. I work to keep my pots as "clay like" as possible.
My pots are meant to be sincere and honest. They are created to have a job, to be used and held in the hand - whether a bowl for morning oatmeal or a kitchen bucket for gathering greens from the garden. I hope my pots do not live in the cupboard. I make pots that I use daily in my kitchen, so I am always thinking about what kinds of food can be prepared, shared and enjoyed using my pots. This for me creates a very fulfilling connection to the person using my pots. Establishing this intimate connection between my hands and the hands of the user plays a vital role in why I make pots."
Allison grew up on a working farm in rural Howard County, Maryland. She received an Associates Degree in Art from Howard Community College in Columbia, Maryland and studied Painting and Printmaking and Art Education at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. For several years she stayed at home raising two children. She returned to college to study Art History (and took a ceramics class as an elective and knew she had to make pots for people to use!) and received a BA in Art from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland. Her pottery experience includes an apprenticeship with Bill vanGilder in Gapland, Maryland and John Thies in Frederick, Maryland. She was also the assistant Director of the Ceramics Program at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland. Allison established her first pottery in Boonsboro, Maryland in 2003 where she built a single chamber catenary arch wood kiln. In 2012 she relocated to Cascade, Maryland where she currently makes pots and fires in her bourry box wood and salt kiln.
Allison's pots have been included in numerous national and international exhibitions including: Salt Glazed Ceramics in Germany; the Orton Cone Box Show and the Strictly Functional Show here in the States. Allison has been included in numerous publications including: Clay Times Magazine, Ceramics Monthly, the Log Book International Wood Fire Magazine, Salzbrand Keramics 2004 and New Ceramic, the European Ceramic Magazine 2019.
Allison currently teaches at the Art League School in Alexandria, Virginia. She has taught there for nine years. Visit the course catalog to join her Throwing/Handbuilding classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Allison loves nothing more than sharing how and why she makes pots. If your school or group is interested in hosting her please contact her at 240.446.9552 or Allison@AllisonSeverancePottery.com. Her workshop demonstrations include throwing and hand building functional pots for daily use in the kitchen. Thrown forms include coffee mugs, teabowls, bakeware, plates, pitchers, colanders, bowls for soup and serving, and lidded jars for storing garlic or sugar. Hand building demonstrations include handled bowls and trays that can be used for gathering vegetables from the garden or serving bread at the table. Finishing techniques include pulling handles, creating spouts, lids and knobs, trimming techniques.
During her demonstrations, topics for discussion will include hand positions, the use of pottery tools, scale and proportion of functional wares and tips for workshop participants to create pots that are friendly, honest, comforting, and full of vitality! Allison stresses keeping the user of handcrafted pots visually and tangibly engaged with the pots.