About the Artist

Potter Cliff Losee’s foray into pottery-making began as a fascination and with the basic question: “How do they do that?” When he decided to find the answer to his own question, what was a curiosity became a hobby, then an avocation, and finally Losee’s full-time profession.

“It’s been an ongoing process for the last 30 years,” he says. “I had careers in business administration and marketing.” Not a bad skill set to have when one chooses to branch out into an artistic, self-made profession.

With patience and gumption, Losee taught himself the skills he exhibits today. “I had plenty of help from books and other potters,” he admits, “but the key ingredient was a willingness to work through all the skill levels and spend untold hours alone at the wheel.” It was the fall of 1987, when Losee tried his hand at pottery as a vocation. Two years later, he became a member of the Sugarloaf family and he’s never looked back.

To create the simple, functional forms of his pottery, Losee uses white clay then decorates the final pieces with one of four major glaze combinations. To some, this might seem like a limited number of tints with which to color finished pieces. Not so. Of the simple forms and subdued hues of Pigeon Hills Pottery, Losee says, “One or another of our glazes coordinates with almost any decorating scheme.” Can’t argue with the beauty of that logic.

Losee’s firing technique causes the glazes on his pottery to fuse permanently to the clay and create a solid, glassy piece of artwork. As a result, his creations are food, microwave and dishwasher safe. And, not surprising, the most popular pieces Losee makes are the “most humble.” Soup and coffee mugs rank the highest and are closely followed by assorted sizes of bowls. It makes perfect sense—sometimes people want to get more use out of the art they collect than just looking at it. Losee’s pottery provides customers with art and unique food and drink vessels. “We’re tuned in to those who use our work and enjoy it,” Losee says. “We like to make mugs that suit peoples’ decor and lifestyle, with a good handle for gripping and a lip that doesn’t allow liquid to drizzle down your chin.” So, Pigeon Hills Pottery sticks with the simple and avoids the “leaks” or pop culture statements that they could attempt with their work.

“My greatest inspiration was and is the simple work of potters all over the world whose pots serve peoples’ daily needs for vessels,” Losee reveals. “Examples are everywhere but village-made utilitarian ware from almost every culture on earth and the so-called ‘functional potters’ of our culture usually make the list.” Says the artist, “While some people collect our work, we are much more attuned to those who just use and enjoy it.”

by Elizabeth Weiss