Your Bio

Welcome to Gruner Pottery! I'm a full-time potter living and working in Annapolis, Maryland.

I make decorative Raku pottery and functional food-safe items for the kitchen and table.

I sell my work at the Eastern Market in Washington, D.C. on Sundays. I also have upcoming shows in Crystal City, Annapolis, and Washington D.C. Please check the Show Schedule tab at the top of the page for details.

If you have any questions about my pottery or my show schedule, or if you'd like to buy something online, send me an email at GrunerPottery@gmail.com.

-Paul Gruner

Galleries

New Pieces :

New Pieces

Updated: Jul 15, 2009 10:53pm EDT

Coffee Mugs : My mugs are a generous size - most are about 4 1/2" tall and hold 12 to 16 oz. The textured mugs are even larger. All my stoneware is microwave and dishwasher safe. I make my own lead-free and food-safe glazes.

Coffee Mugs

My mugs are a generous size - most are about 4 1/2" tall and hold 12 t ...

Updated: Mar 07, 2009 6:24pm EDT

Tableware : This category includes plates, bowls, tumblers and other items that you'd eat or drink from. All my stoneware is microwave and dishwasher safe. I make my own lead-free and food-safe glazes.

Tableware

This category includes plates, bowls, tumblers and other items that yo ...

Updated: Mar 14, 2009 8:03pm EDT

Kitchenware : Kitchenware includes items used for cooking and serving food, as well as storage containers like canisters. All my stoneware is microwave and dishwasher safe. I make my own lead-free and food-safe glazes.

Kitchenware

Kitchenware includes items used for cooking and serving food, as well ...

Updated: Mar 14, 2009 8:03pm EDT

Vases and Miscellaneous : This is the catch-all for items that don't fit into any of the above categories.

Vases and Miscellaneous

This is the catch-all for items that don't fit into any of the above c ...

Updated: Dec 03, 2008 7:05pm EDT

Raku : Raku pottery is fired quickly, and usually pulled from the kiln while hot and placed in a container of combustible material such as leaves or sawdust. The pot, glowing orange from the heat, ignites the leaves. The container is then closed to create a smoky, oxygen-deprived environment. Bare clay turns black or dark gray, and some glazes develop metallic flashes. Some pots do not survive the thermal shock of being pulled out of the hot kiln, and crack or shatter. Other times, glazes just fail to develop good colors. But that just means the good pieces are a little more special. Raku is a low fire process and the clay remains porous. Raku pots are not safe for food and are not water-tight.

Raku

Raku pottery is fired quickly, and usually pulled from the kiln while ...

Updated: Mar 07, 2009 7:30pm EDT

Making Fissure Mugs : Fissure mugs are mugs I make that have a crackled texture. The texture is actually in the outer layer of the clay - not the glaze. This gallery shows how I make these.

Making Fissure Mugs

Fissure mugs are mugs I make that have a crackled texture. The texture ...

Updated: Aug 05, 2008 8:45pm EDT

Raku Firing : This Spring I took a pottery class led by John Jensen at St. John's College. At the end of the class we had a raku firing by College Creek with the rowing teams practicing in the background. John brought 3 or 4 kilns; I had built my own kiln (with John's help) and brought it along. Photos by my wife Tracy Gill.

Raku Firing

This Spring I took a pottery class led by John Jensen at St. John's Co ...

Updated: Sep 06, 2008 12:09pm EDT

Clean Creek Glazes : Clean Creek Products is a non-profit company that restores streams that were polluted by coal mining. As a by-product, they collect iron and manganese, which they supply to potters for making glazes. For more info, click on http://cleancreek.org I've developed a few different glazes using their products, and I'm working on more. I'm also converting some of my older glazes to use Clean Creek products. When I sell a piece with these glazes, I donate a percentage to Clean Creek.

Clean Creek Glazes

Clean Creek Products is a non-profit company that restores streams tha ...

Updated: Oct 06, 2008 8:57pm EDT