Meet the Artist (Now Getting Muddy in Cleveland, GA)
Hi there! I’m a proud mud enthusiast now based in Cleveland, GA. Some people hike mountains, some knit sweaters for their cats—I make mud spin in circles until it agrees to be a bowl. It’s a unique skill set.
I didn’t always know clay was my soulmate. In fact, it took me 43 years to meet the stuff, and now we’re basically in a long-term relationship. If you ever ask me how long it takes to make a piece, I’ll probably say, “Oh, about four decades and one very expensive kiln.”
Back in the day, my husband and I ran an art gallery in Dahlonega, GA. One of our potters suggested I learn a thing or two about pottery so I could sell it with more flair (and fewer confused stares). Next thing I knew, I was elbows-deep in clay and buying a stranger’s entire studio setup like a contestant on an HGTV craft show.
For the first few years, my studio was basically a glorified porch with ambition. We closed the gallery in 2010 during that global economic meltdown you may have heard of. I grieved, then quietly got to work. Clay listened better than most people anyway.
In 2012, we moved just off the square in Dahlonega and set up a real-deal home studio: fireplace, hand-built tables, separate rooms for trimming, glazing, and probably hiding from humanity on tough days. I even had a little red wagon to deliver pots to The Country Cottage on the square. Neighborhood folks loved it—like a ceramic version of the ice cream truck.
Eventually, I gave my hobby a name: Lovelady Creations. I opened the studio to locals and kept the public sales at The Country Cottage (tourists welcome—bonus points if you don’t ask, “Did you really make all this?”).
But as life goes, we packed up and moved again—this time to Cleveland, GA. Same mud, new zip code. My relationship with clay remains part private therapy, part public spectacle. I glaze best when no one’s watching, but I love sharing finished pieces and chatting with people who think pottery is magic (they’re not wrong).
These days, I specialize in both functional pottery (yes, it’s microwave-safe!) and raku pottery, which is essentially ceramics with a flair for the dramatic. Fire, smoke, chaos, beauty—raku is pottery’s version of rock ‘n’ roll.
So whether you’re eating off one of my plates or just admiring the smoky swirl of a raku vase, know this: it’s all made with love, a touch of madness, and plenty of mud.
Welcome to the studio. Let’s get dirty.