About Norris

I first fell in love with pottery in highschool.  I just liked the feel, the smell, and the fun of creating.  I took some classes in college and had some wonderful teachers.  I really enjoyed Raku firing.

Life took some interesting turns for me, but I always loved making pottery.  I took some evening classes, just to keep my hands in the mud.  I told my wife Jo, that I would like to continue to do pottery and one day she surprised me with a used kick wheel that she bought at a school auction.  It was great! 

Much later, I finally took the plunge and bought an electric wheel and a kiln.  That's when the real fun started.  I have enjoyed it ever since!  It has really been just the last few years when I felt good enough about my work to sell it.  Even then, full time work just didn't permit me to make much.

My children have always liked my pottery.  One day I found a bowl at my daughters house - an old cereal bowl I made in college that was clunky and chipped.  I had thrown it away, but she had dug it out and kept it.  How dear that something like this would be important to her!

In my small town, we have a lovely little city park where they setup a farmers market every year.  I enjoy setting up my pottery mostly because I like meeting people and talking about pottery.  I love it when a young girl says that something touches her heart, or when someone purchases what becomes their favorite mug. One can always tell when your pottery means something special - those people pick up a bowl, or a pitcher and cling on to it.  If it can bring someone to tears, I know I have really hit a homerun.

Artist Statement

My art drives toward the use or rich active surfaces.  I am passionate about the way I am affected by the things I see and touch, whether it's a painting that makes me happy or a mug that I gently press to my lips.

I’m interested in the textures, surface and layers. I’m a potter, mostly, because I enjoy the many aspects including the tactical feel of the raw clay spinning though my hand.  Painting also intrigues me. I appreciate art for art’s sake, but I enjoy the useful and the serene.

I have an attraction to the reflective moments, with a warm mug in my hands. I like the little details in my work – a handle that goes unnoticed because it fits perfectly, smooth glossy textures, with deep rich colors or rough course surfaces, burned and colored by fire and time.

I will sometimes scribble text in my work, they are usually in Italian referencing memories of a beautiful people and language. These messages are often covered by the paint or glaze – I don’t care. I find comfort in the work underneath. What we don’t see or notice still matters.