As I looked around the pottery studio the other day, I realized that our developing pottery community was quite a diverse group.

We’ve got school teachers, a loan officer, a home-school student, a floral designer and an accountant. Then there are the stained-glass artist, jewelry artist, painter/photographer, and even a genuine starving pottery artist. There are men and women ranging from teenage to senior citizens. Who would have thought we would all come together at Burns Pottery to share our love for working with clay?

Glancing at the beautiful pottery laid out on the studio tables, I realize that our clay styles are as varied as our occupations. Nathalie Harris hand forms her unique vases, bird houses and cups adding whimsical birds, cats and dragonflies to her work. Her son, Brad’s work is greatly influenced by his mentor, Conner Burns. His beautiful bowls, tumblers and vases are fluid and elegant.

Dolly Smith’s work is always very eye-catching. While Dolly makes a very wide variety of forms, you can always recognize her work by the way she uses glazes to accentuate the shapes of her pots. Jacque Stahlman is the envy of many of the artists lately. She recently began dribbling glazes over her platters to achieve beautiful flowing designs.

Our artist-in-residence, Lindsay Rogers, is our inspiration for surface design. Lindsay uses colored slip to show off her intricate carving work. Her bowls and plates are truly works of art.

All of these artists and more will have their work on display from 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday at Burns Pottery at 209 Franklin St.

Come enjoy the work of our clay community and browse the gallery of Conner Burns at the Spring Art Open House.

This is a rare opportunity to visit an artist community and select handmade artwork at the artists’ studio.

With the wide variety of potters and their individual styles, there is sure to be a potter whose work you could enjoy in your own home. Or maybe you will decide to sign up for a class and join our pottery community yourself!

Donna Jones is a Vidalia resident and a pottery student at Burns Pottery.