Good Elephant Pottery is handmade by Mea Rhee in Silver Spring, Maryland.
artist's statement
"I am guided by my Korean heritage, Maryland upbringing, and graphic design education. I care deeply about functional designs, always thinking about the balance and movement of my pots in action. My work has a minimal and rustic style, meant to appeal to those who appreciate the natural world, even if they live modern or urban lifestyles.
Every piece is made by hand, with devotion to the skill and science of pottery, and fired to cone 6 (approx. 2200°F). They are durable enough for daily use, including in the dishwasher, microwave, and oven."
Every piece is made by hand, with devotion to the skill and science of pottery, and fired to cone 6 (approx. 2200°F). They are durable enough for daily use, including in the dishwasher, microwave, and oven."
how i got here / where i'm going
I graduated from the University of Maryland in 1992, with a degree in graphic design. I have been working in that field ever since, launching my own studio, Mea Rhee Graphic Arts, in 1996. Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed this career very much, especially the part about being self-employed. But in 1994 I started taking pottery classes at a local community center, and this quickly became my life's obsession. I consider myself "self-taught" because I am not formally trained in ceramics, though I have had many wonderful teachers along the way. I established my own pottery studio, Good Elephant Pottery, in 2002. My pots have gained a strong following in the Washington DC and Baltimore areas, and now can be found in galleries throughout the country. My work has appeared in Ceramics Monthly, NICHE Magazine, and on Home and Garden Television HGTV (see below).
Right now, I still work occasionally as a designer, but the pottery business has become a full-time operation. I have both the design and pottery studios in my home in Silver Spring, Maryland. And just to make sure I leave the house a few times per week, I also teach pottery classes at the Greenbelt Community Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Right now, I still work occasionally as a designer, but the pottery business has become a full-time operation. I have both the design and pottery studios in my home in Silver Spring, Maryland. And just to make sure I leave the house a few times per week, I also teach pottery classes at the Greenbelt Community Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
brushes with fame
In the summer of 2011, I was featured in Ceramics Monthly. Regular readers of my blog probably found the article to be very familiar. The Hourly Earnings Project was a year-long analysis that I recorded on my blog. The editors of Ceramics Monthly asked me to develop it into an article for them, and it was published in the June/July/August 2011 issue, their annual "Working Potters" issue. You can read the full article at Ceramic Arts Daily online. And you can read all the raw material that went into the project on my blog by clicking on the category The Hourly Earnings Project.
A photo of my handmade clocks appeared in spring 2010 issue of NICHE Magazine, in an article titled "What's New in Functional Ceramics"
In the fall of 2006, I was featured on the HGTV show "That's Clever!" where I made a dinner plate with a crab impression. In my six-minute segment, I demonstrated how to make a clay stamp using actual crab shells, then use the stamps to decorate, form, glaze, and fire a 9 inch square plate. I don't think this episode is still available to watch on TV, but you can see the written description of my project online.
