Meet the Artist
Aaron Van Ornum (Kandice Caldwell, collaborator)
Ceramics
Shoalwater Pottery was founded in 2012 by Kandice Caldwell and Aaron Van Ornum, Co-Chief Mudslingers and owners. Aaron moved to the forests outside of Raymond, Washington over twenty years ago and found his place among the rain-misted bay and verdant hills. Kandice migrated to the Willapa Hills from Portland, Oregon in 2017. Together their driving aspiration has been to build a whole life lived close to the land and in harmony with the seasons. Aaron and Kandice consider their pottery business core to the integrity of their lifestyle, and they work hard to produce high quality, responsible and desirable products. They believe in being positive contributors to their local community and to the wider society. They do everything they can to be self-sustaining and collaborate with other businesses for the benefit of all.
Materials and Technique: Aaron and Kandice hand throw their functional porcelain pottery in their home studio located in the forested Willapa Hills of SW Washington. They roam the woods collecting seasonal leaves which they press into the soft surface of the clay. The leaves burn away in the kiln capturing an incredible level of detail in the ceramic. After carefully painting in colored underglazes, each piece is overglazed and fired again to yield a unique, durable and everyday-usable celebration of Nature's sublime patterns.