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Making crystalline-glazed porcelain pottery comes with a steep learning curve. The first time Marie Wright attempted the technique, she opened the kiln before it had cooled, and her hair caught

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Making crystalline-glazed porcelain pottery comes with a steep learning curve. The first time Marie Wright attempted the technique, she opened the kiln before it had cooled, and her hair caught

Making crystalline-glazed porcelain pottery comes with a steep learning curve. The first time Marie Wright attempted the technique, she opened the kiln before it had cooled, and her hair caught fire.

When Wright first saw crystalline-glazed pieces during a pottery class, her teacher discouraged her from trying to replicate the look, explaining that it was too easy to fail. And it’s hard to find people who teach the skill because so few potters know how to do it themselves. But Wright had the right background to understand the science involved, having double-majored in biochemistry and molecular biology in college. Still, the process took a lot of trial and error.

Two vases crafted by Marie Wright

Marie Wright makes pieces in her home studio, selling larger works at galleries and smaller ones via her Etsy shop. photograph by Anna Routh Barzin

The result is worth the trouble, though. Wright’s pieces — cups, vases, dispensers for soap and olive oil, and more — are fired in the kiln at approximately 2,000 degrees for hours, which melts the glaze, forms crystal blooms, and freezes them in place. More than 20 years after that first hair-sizzling attempt, Wright left her biotechnology career to pursue her art full-time in Pittsboro. And even now, she never stops learning.

For more information about Marie Wright Pottery, visit mariewrightpottery.etsy.com.

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This story was published on Jun 24, 2024

Rebecca Woltz

Rebecca is the staff writer at Our State.