Ceramics and I, (in my case a love for throwing on the wheel) have formed in many ways a symbiotic relationship. In other words a codependence. I myself have invested countless hours into experimentation and facing the process of trial and error. In turn pottery has given me an outlet and an ability to turn off the outside problems at hand. The journey between the art of pottery and myself began in my sophomore year of high school. I had always liked art as my mom was an art therapy major and had me involved with many artistic activities from a young age. Seeing the choices for my schedule I opted to take a ceramics course. It was the previous year that Covid had cut my freshmen year short and that summer my mom Jennifer Moshier was given a prognosis of stage 4 ovarian cancer. I did my best to go on about my day and continue on with school but in the back of my head I couldn’t help but think of the challenges my mom was facing at home. Eventually the next semester rolled around and it was time to take that ceramics course. I can still remember the first assignment, making a set of 3 pinch pots. Sitting there carefully sculpting I realized just how much I loved creating something new. It wasn’t long before I began on the pottery wheel and to put it shortly, I was hooked. Before I knew it every spare class period was spent in that art room. The next year was the same except now it was spare class periods, ceramics club and staying long hours after school. (Thanks to my amazing art teacher Mrs. D) I couldn’t get enough, it made it all fade into the background. I was focusing on the progress in the studio and not the deterioration that was occurring at home. I knew I had found a passion of mine. The following year was my senior year, this year truly was one full of highs and lows. I continued on with my passion of ceramics now taking on AP 3D Art as well as 2 study halls purely spent in the studio along with late working nights like before, now starting to teach others to throw on the wheel during ceramics club and joining the art honors society. A plethora of activities all spent in the same place, the art studio. Things were fantastic and I was loving what I was doing, but as life would have it things at home were getting much worse and quickly, before I knew it my mom had lost her battle with cancer. I did the best I could to not let it change my trajectory as it was totally out of my control, but such a loss is never an easy task to deal with. I continued with pottery increasing the time spent at the wheel dramatically as it was the only space where I could hide from my own thoughts and emotions and while I was there I continued to love every second.

I graduated High School and went on to study business in college (where I currently am still) and have formed this small business where I continue to spend time in my happy place, the pottery studio. Not only does it bring me joy to create this art and share it with you but I would like to prevent others from going through the agony that I witnessed my mom endure by creating awareness for Ovarian Cancer and by donating 10% of profits to OCRA (Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance). So when you buy a piece from Moshier Pottery Works you not only support me a aspiring artist and small business, but you support advocacy and research for Ovarian Cancer with the hope of preventing the pain the comes with a loved one hearing of such a prognosis.

Thank you for reading my story.

Best,

Ethan Moshier