Since retiring last year, Danielle Wolfe has had greater opportunity to pursue her passion for pottery.
And now that she has more time, and more pottery, she has begun selling her work.
“Only recently have I started to sell my products; it is a by-product of my love of making pottery,” she says. “My friends probably don’t want any more pottery birthday/Christmas gifts, hence I am so happy when I find a new home for my pieces.”
Danielle has named her pottery work Crooked by Design, in reference to the unique shapes and appearance of the pieces she creates.
“I am drawn to making items that are not perfectly round or square, and wanted people to know that making them crooked was by choice,” she explains.
Her work includes everything from cups, bowls and vases, to flower pots, soap dishes and paper-towel holders. So far, she is selling it online through her website, as well as at the yellow pop-up gift shop Caymanvisitor on West Bay Road.
LEARNING THE SKILLS
Danielle, who moved to Cayman from Switzerland in 1989, learned her pottery skills through what is now called the Visual Arts Society, and was taught by one of the local art teachers.
“The process we learned was hand-building,” she recalls. “I carried on taking evening courses at different times and, on one of our winter vacations, joined a wheel class. After that class, each year I would return to the studio to practise and learn more.”
Lucky enough to have her own kiln, Danielle makes mid-fired pottery, which is water-resistant, with almost all pieces being food-safe.
“Pottery has many stages: making the piece, firing it, glazing, and firing again,” she says. “I had to learn to become very patient.”
SURPRISE RESULTS
And, while Danielle knows what kind of item she is creating, she is never certain exactly how it will turn out.
“The wheel often still decides on the shape of pottery I am going to make,” she says.
Glazing is another aspect which is usually a surprise result.
“Most of the time, I don’t know what the pieces are going to look like when I open the kiln,” she says.
Danielle finds inspiration for her work during long strolls along Cayman’s sandy shores.
“My beach walks are inspiring and, seeing the finished pieces brings joy and makes me very happy,” she says.
And her favourite part of the whole pottery process? “Playing with mud,” she says. “I loved it when I was a little girl, and some things just don’t change.”
This article appears in the Spring/Summer 2024 issue of InsideOut magazine, now available at magazine stands around the island.
