Sam Taylor uses wood to fire his stoneware ceramics, a process more interesting, labor intensive and harder to control than conventional gas firing. A lover of functional pottery, Taylor’s pots are always functional, although as he admits, some are “prettier to look at while other pieces are more rewarding to use.” Taylor use a non-electric, treadle-style kick wheel to create his work, a departure from most potters. Taylor throws, then alters the works by paddling or faceting them. He enjoys the decorative process, a fact not lost upon viewers of his works. Much of his work has glaze or slip-decorated surfaces, which thrive and are enriched by the woodfire, creating one of a kind, singularly beautiful pieces.

Taylor studied ceramics in Wisconsin and now makes his home in Westhampton, Massachusetts. His business, Dog Bar Pottery, is named after the Dog Bar Breakwater in Gloucester, MA, where he once lived and made pots.