Notwithstanding Indigenous peoples of the Americas, during the early years of the last century American individuals using their hands to form clay into pottery were referred to as vessel makers. Ceramic vessel making was practiced as either vocational education (to provide skilled labor to industry), therapeutic activity for people with nervous disorders or as a hobby. Serious hobbyist frequently dug their own clay from local deposits, built their own wood fired kilns and wheels and mixed their own glazes. It was a process of trial and error to teach yourself to be a potter before 1950. By the time I was introduced to clay in the late 1960's and taking my first baby steps as a ceramic artist, formal training existed. Suppliers mined raw material and sold clay and raw materials to schools and hobbyists. Clay was mined or manufactured as low-fire (earthenware), high-fire (stoneware) and porcelain. Low-fired earthenware cannot be made vitreous and historically has been limited t
