Asparagus Valley Pottery Trail: Celebrating 20 years of bringing makers and pottery lovers together. Join me at my Greenfield, MA studio for our annual event which brings together nationally known potters and pottery lovers from all around to celebrate the beauty and craftsmanship of handmade pottery. This year the trail will take place on April 27th and 28th, 10-5 both days. I’ve been making pottery for over 40 years, and there have been many changes along the way. I am currently moving away from using porcelain and white clay for my functional work. This year when you visit the studio, you ..read more

Thanks to Amazon and Etsy many consumers now expect free shipping when making online purchases. This is a tough one for small businesses and craftspeople like myself. Shipping prices and shipping supplies have gone up, just like everything else the past few years, and it needs to be paid at one end of the transaction. In the past the buyer has always expected to pay for shipping. Maybe some people still do expect it, but most would rather see it rolled into the price and not have shipping shock when they get to the checkout page. I wrote a blog post back in 2019, “Free Shipping Isn't Free” In ..read more

It's busy, busy, busy here making lots of pottery for the holiday season! There will be a new line of work this season. I've been happily working in a brown stoneware clay and applying a slip decoration over the clay. The slip is made from clay that I dug from the riverbank in my backyard. The clay from the Green River is a light green, making the the river itself a beautiful light green color. When the trees along the riverbank fall, it exposes large veins of solid clay which makes it easy for me to gather.  I've experimented with this clay for many years and l ..read more

I recently had the privilege of being interviewed on the renowned podcast, Tales of a Red Clay Rambler. I have been an admirer of Ben Carter and his long standing podcast about ceramics for years. So it was quite an honor when he invited me to be a guest on the show. We talk about my development of glazes, why I make burial urns, and studio cycles. Have a listen here: https://www.talesofaredclayrambler.com/episodes/480-lucy-fagella-on-embracing-studio-cycles ..read more

Step #7 Dry the mug slowly so handles don’t crack. Aside from the 20 steps listed below, each mug is made by hand and truly one of a kind. It is not mass produced in a country with disregard for fair labor practices. When a non-potter sees a potter making a mug at the wheel they usually say, you made that so quick. My response… this is only one tiny step in the whole process. This part appears to be quick because I have been practicing my craft for over 35 years. So what are all the steps to making a mug? Well here you go… I am assuming the potter has the clay, glazes, and all of the expensi ..read more

April 29th and 30th, 10-5 both days! Online sale begins Friday Noon EST. The annual Asparagus Valley Pottery Trail is a tour of eight studios with 20+ nationally recognized potters. Easily reached from Boston, Hartford, and the Albany area, the free, self-guided tour winds along the beautiful back roads and scenic historic towns of the Asparagus Valley, a local name for the upper Connecticut River valley of western Massachusetts. The Pottery Trail celebrates the rich agricultural history and cultural vitality of the area, as well as the longstanding connection between pottery and food. https ..read more

I quietly filled my online shop today with this and lots of other goodies. I say quietly because I’m not a big fan of the scarcity mindset… the big buildup to the “online shop update”, where people have to make an instant decision and click the add to cart button before someone else does. I personally like to have a little bit more time to think about my purchase. The past three years since the pandemic began there was a real shift in the way artists/craftspeople sell their work. We shifted from in-person shows to completely selling online. I think we have treated it as if it were an in-pers ..read more

The weekend of December 10th-11th, Open 10-4 both days Come and find your perfect, handmade gift! The shelves will be stocked with lots of pottery. Red tag discontinued/seconds will be available. Time once again to open my studio to the public for my 21st Annual Holiday Sale! Join me at my studio in Greenfield, MA. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that I have been making pottery for 43 years, and have been a full time potter for over 20 years! I love making pottery and sharing my love of it. There is just something about handmade pottery that brings joy to daily rituals. Come and find your ..read more

Batter Bowl I am updating my website shop page with over 50 items this Sunday Noon EDT! There will be batter bowls, butter dishes, french butter keepers, mugs, tiny keepsake urns, salt cellars, treasure boxes, citrus juicers, mortar and pestle, and berry bowls. If you don't see what you want, email me to ask if I have it. I couldn't put everything I have on my website as it takes tons of time to take photos, edit them, and upload to the website. Each photo I take is individual to that piece of pottery... the pot you see in the photo is the pot you will get... no substitutes. I also try to giv ..read more

I was happy to sit down recently with Rebecca Ickes Carra from The Maker’s Playbook Podcast. We had an in depth conversation about making a living as a full time potter. We cover everything from parenting to the impact that pottery making has on the environment. We get to the nitty gritty of studio life, the time I spend making the work, to the costs and time of packing and shipping the work. We talk about the importance of marketing and how good photography plays an extremely important role in selling work online. We discuss passion for pottery and how having that passion carries you though t ..read more