Ceramics

Tour Stop 6:
White House Ceramics

Lovettsville, Virginia studio artist and educator Kristen Swanson has had her hands in clay since 1991. Kristen has been teaching ceramic art to children and adults in her community through her personal studio and classroom, White House Ceramics Studios, since 2001. Kristen exhibits her unique porcelain art locally and nationally and sells her work around the globe. She lives and works in her home studio in the heart of historic Lovettsville, Virginia with her husband and three sons.

Kristen's functional pottery is made with a mid-range English grolleg porcelain clay body and fired to cone 7 in oxidation in an electric kiln. Her original designs are hand painted and carved using a technique called sgraffito, meaning to scratch. She uses a variety of brushes, blades, and slip trail bottles to apply pigmented clay slip, or underglaze, to the unfired clay body. Once surface work is complete, pieces are bisque fired, clear glazed, and fired a second time to vitrification.​

Four PlatesCups & SaucersLidded BowlsLidded BowlSlender VasesFruit BowlPeony Place SettingCappuccino Mugs