The Potter and Her Pottery
Jaime's first love of pottery is due to friendly people from the neighborhood she grew up in; Shaker Heights, Ohio. Mrs. Lalli lived across the street with her husband Dr. Lalli. Every year she would bring her mom, Jan, a piece for Christmas and her mom treasured them. Jaime did too. She was fascinated. And while Mrs. Lalli has probably passed, she would most likely be pleased to hear that Jaime has all of those pieces still. She calls the collection her "Lolli Pots."
After years of collecting other ceramic artists' work, she enrolled in a hand-thrown pottery Leisure Class at the LSU Union. Several classes later she was more drawn in than ever and realized she needed more formal training. She re-enrolled in Louisiana State University to start another Bachelor’s Degree but this degree would be in Fine Arts, concentration in Ceramics.
In different hands pottery is different things. It can be the canvas on which the artist paints, it can be the stone from which fantastic animations come to life, and to some it can be the very fabric from which life’s essential tools are spun. In Jaime’s hands it is love formed and given as art, sculpture and vessel all in one to be enjoyed endlessly. It is mud mixed with heart and soul to become a cup which you can hold in your hands and feel an echo of the artist. It has a simplicity, a charm, and a unique flavor that bonds you with her as you take it to your lips or hold it in your hands.
Somehow special and heartfelt, now you feel heightened as you enjoy that which you always have in a brand new way. The coffee is crisper, the soup is heartier, even the water is sharper somehow - and inside you smile.
No one sits down once at the wheel to throw a perfect shape. It takes trial and it takes time - years in fact. So much to study and so so much to love.
You can find Jaime nestled in her studio still dreaming, still creating, still falling in love with pottery. A platter, a bowl, a cake stane or something to serve on or grow something in. Around southeast Louisiana, in a few retail boutiques, festivals and arts markets talking with neighbors and friends. So many happy people, happy customers, happy reviews. This is Jaime Miller.
