Welcome to Leadfoot Martha Pottery!
I'm Christine (aka; "Martha"), the passionate creator of the handcrafted pottery you see here.
I live and work in Lumby B.C
White stoneware clay serves as the perfect canvas for bringing my favourite tree, the birch, to life.
By incorporating patterns and textures of bark and knots onto my pieces, I bring a sense of realism into your hands and onto your table for daily use.
The "birch" replica work is my specialty, and it's taken me many years to (finally) obtain the realism I envisioned and intended. The process for these begins as a wheel thrown piece, and is then hand carved and sculpted. It takes many layers of oxides, washes and underglazes to get the finish I prefer.
When I throw these pieces, I am transported back in time to my beautiful childhood at our families old homestead on the Arrow Lakes, which later served as a weekend retreat for our family, for many years.
The racoons had worn their path through the birch grove by the bay, and to my young eyes, the birch seemed to glow in the moonlight, perhaps serving as lamp posts to guide them with their babies (or "kits") down to "wash their food" in the cool water. This is a vivid, happy memory for me, still, after all these years. I still can hear the peaceful gentle lapping of the glacial fed waters onto the fallen logs of the shore, and the comical noises the racoons made.
I'm mostly self-taught, I create and test my own glazes, and I sometimes use the odd commercial one. My focus is on functional art, and my work has been decribed as "fun, fresh, unexpected, and boho," with simple lines that are ideal for entertaining.
Each piece I release truly is one of a kind, slow-made, and created with careful attention to detail, form and function.
Variations in detail and colour are admired for their alchemic and organic nature - celebrating the true individualism of each piece.
There's no production making here and no slip casting to create exact replicas
(I don't have the room in my small studio).
You can find me on Instagram as well, and you'll find that I love humour!
In fact, I am VERY serious about not taking myself too seriously!
I live in the beautiful Okanagan Valley of British Columbia where life is alive with the four seasons, and creating functional pottery serves as my self-care and meditation.
Thank you so much for being here,
~Christine~