Choosing to make an opportunity
Bright colors. Iron-rich reds. Gravity-defying drips. And beautifully trimmed tea bowls. These were just a few products of the ceramic world that struck me with force when I initially enrolled in a class during the first semester of my sophomore year of high school. In the coming months, years, and decade plus, I found myself mesmerized by the medium. Its highs and inevitable lows. Gifts from each kiln opening. At times in the form of beautiful shades of blues and greens. Other times, a bloody mess of failed experiments. But in a world of instant results, the step by step, churning nature of ceramics that demands an artist’s patience is what has fascinated me for years.
My early years brought me to the front row of one of North America’s most innovative ceramic artists. Every Saturday for two years I would find my way to Dick Lehman’s Goshen, Indiana studio, anxious to absorb every piece of information I could. This evolved into an apprenticeship spent learning the finer points of production pottery, loading kilns of all varieties, and being encouraged to experiment with what I saw, and my own imaginations. This laid a foundation for what would be a love story between clay and myself for the better part of my adolescence and early adulthood.
Undergraduate delivered a mismatched four years with just as many majors, and a few semesters in the ceramics studio at Goshen College, along with many evenings sneaking in and producing work without the professor’s knowledge. I just couldn’t get enough of it. The years that followed took me on a winding journey culminating in a successful writing career focused on consumer technology, which allowed me the freedom to once again examine and explore my love of ceramics.
In the midst of a writing career and living elsewhere in the midwest, my wife, daughter, and I had the opportunity to purchase a combination ceramics studio and home in Goshen, Indiana. As if every piece of my life suddenly came together in perfect unity, we dove in head first and Trevor Daugherty Clayworks was born. With a focus on functional art, my goal is to create pottery that serves a purpose and is used in everyday life, while also striking a chord visually with unique designs. My passion falls at the intersection of usability and visual intrigue. I hope that every piece that leaves my studio proves to be a conversation starter that also provides a purpose in daily life.