About the work

All my work is handmade stoneware. 

This means each piece is individually made using one of a few different methods. The most common method that I employ is throwing on a pottery wheel. I aim to throw each piece identically, but recognize they will all have slight variation as they pick up character throughout the making process. The second most common method I use is slab building, where clay is rolled out to a desired thickness then shaped using various fixtures that I have created over the years. Finally, I will occasionally slip cast, a method that uses liquid clay and a plaster mold to create repeated identical shapes that could not be made using any other method I have at my disposal. I primarily use a buff colored stoneware that lends itself to good glaze performance and durability.

Once the form is roughed out, it gets dried slowly, trimmed, and once fully dry it gets very carefully loaded into an electric kiln and fired to 1900f. This changes the clay into ceramic, permanently setting the shape. Up until this point the piece could always be reformed into the raw clay by adding water, but the bisque firing is the first irreversible process. 

Next comes glazing. I make all my own glazes. Some are from recipes created and shared by other potters, some are recipes I’ve created myself, but all of them are mixed up from raw ceramic ingredients. I always try and create effects with them where there’s a fundamental change during the firing. Those patterns are created by the glaze itself, so each one captures a unique moment in the kiln and can never be recreated exactly. The glazes are a glass that becomes liquid in the firing, so what you’re seeing is the movement that occurred at around 2200f becoming frozen forever as the kiln cools.

About Me

Hi!

I’m Greg Nicol. Fermentation scientist by training, teacher by trade, and potter by passion. Atelier Nicol started as an idea several years ago. I was trying to come up with a name that encompasses all of the types of creating that I do, and ‘atelier’ sprung to the forefront.

An atelier is simply a workshop (or studio) used by an artist. Traditionally, a master craftsperson chose apprentices to help with the creation of work, and taught them the skills necessary to succeed on their own. Seeing that I am a teacher, and that I help friends, family, and former students complete projects in my studio, I thought Atelier Nicol fit perfectly.

I regularly work with clay, metal, and wood. Of the three, clay has always appealed to me the most: the immediacy of creation, the intimacy and simplicity of using hands rather than tools to shape the material. There is a beautiful and irreversible change that occurs during firing, transforming a fragile piece of clay into a durable, long-lasting ceramic. 

I’ve decided to take the next step and begin to share the projects and products of Atelier Nicol with all of you. Currently the focus is on functional pottery, but there will be some woodworking mixed in from time to time.

I continue to learn and experiment with new ideas and techniques, and enjoy the infinite variations possible within these art forms.

Thank you for your interest, please get in touch if you have any comments or questions or head over to the Shop to have a look at what I make.

Greg