Pottery is one of the oldest art forms. The earliest pottery vessels found in the world date back 20,000 years ago — a team of researchers discovered fragments some 11 years ago at Xianrendong Cave in the Jiangxi province of China.
These were simple vessels. In Japan, the earliest pottery was made around the start of the Incipient Jōmon period in 14,500 B.C., discovered at the Odai Yamamoto I site in Japan in 1998. You will find some of the most elaborately decorated pottery from this period. They are decorated with geometric designs, human figures and animal motifs.
We are lucky that we don’t have to travel that far back in time or across the world to find beautiful pottery. In the Upper Keys, we have a fantastic pottery community. You have places like Morada Way Clay where they live for and create beauty out of clay. One artist who knows the way of the clay is Allison Ferguson.
Ferguson’s journey as an artist began about 12 years ago when her sister, Stephanie Bennett, invited her into the pottery studio that she now manages to “play in clay.” She taught her the basics, and she was hooked. Ferguson later retired and moved to Key Largo. She joined Morada Way Clay as a studio artist.
“I learned the fundamentals from Samantha Decker-Hoppen, who is an accomplished potter and was also my mentor. She taught us to be imaginative, to ‘embrace the wonk,’ and to think outside the box,” she said.
Ferguson is also inspired by her sister as well as Shayne Greco, both fantastic potters.
“He creates the most stunning pieces. I invited him to come to Our Place in Paradise to do a workshop on his techniques. Under his instruction, the participants created some magnificent pieces,” Ferguson said.
Her creative process involves her connection to nature and sea creatures. She loves to snorkel. The amazing reefs of Key Largo and the Upper Keys act as her muse. Besides the Keys, she draws inspiration from the Caribbean, and she was lucky enough to travel twice to the Galapagos Islands. She’s also traveled to Kenya and Uganda on safari. Travel itself is her creative spark. Ferguson uses the ideas she gets from her travels and translates them into ideas for pottery.
Ferguson is well known for her puffer fish sculptures; they are a whimsical delight featuring bright-colored glazes.
“While I enjoy doing sculptures, like my famous ‘puffers,’ I mostly enjoy making sea-themed functional pottery that people can actually use, entertain with and enjoy,” she said. “My turtle crawl deviled egg trays are my signature pieces. Each one is unique, and they never fail to catch an eye at the events I participate in. They take a lot of my time, as each turtle is hand-glazed. However, they are a labor of love, and when I see someone’s smile it makes it all worth it.”
“For me, success is when one of my pieces makes someone happy, and I love it when I can meet my collectors and hear their stories,” she continued.
Ferguson goes through stages where she needs to take a break. These breaks are usually in the summer, when the heat is just brutal in the Keys. During the height of COVID in 2020, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
“During chemo, it wasn’t safe for me to be in the studio. So, to stay motivated, I watched and learned new pottery techniques like sgraffito, using underglaze transfers, and glazing techniques,” she said. “When I was able to return, I was on fire with new projects.”
Gratefully, her cancer is in remission. The studio where she makes pottery is so conducive to her creative process. Because of this, most of her pottery friends came from Morada Way.
“We all have such synergy together. I think we all inspire each other to learn and grow as artists,” she said.
Another one of Ferguson’s favorite haunts is Our Place in Paradise, which is run by Joanne Kolb and Liz Moore. Discover Allison Ferguson’s pottery at Our Place in Paradise, at Art Under the Oaks events which take place in January at San Pedro’s Catholic church, and most months on third Thursdays at the Morada Way Art Walk.
