Meet the artist!
Julie Taft was born in Massachusetts and started making pottery in 1998. In 2005, she moved to Maine and set up a new home based studio, now called Versatile Vessels. She lives with her husband and two daughters. She attended Massachusetts College of Art and graduated with a BFA in Sculpture with a minor in photography. Julie designs and throws all of the pieces for Versatile Vessels.
A tradition continues.
Hand thrown stoneware pottery for functional use. Made in the USA since 1998.
Versatile Vessels started as a small, in home pottery studio by Julie Taft and was based on commissioned pieces and Open Studio sales until 2020, when sales became public. I am committed to providing quality, durable stoneware pieces that are unique and continue to honor the tradition of pottery making.
Both wheel thrown pottery and hand built pottery require knowledge, expertise and understanding the standards of craftsmanship to create these beautiful works of art. Wheelthrowing is time consuming in practice and takes several years of patience and dedication. The process from clay to shop can take approximately three weeks to completion.
The pots are kiln fired twice, Initially, after creating the piece and allowing it to dry, it is very delicate greenware. The greenware is placed in the kiln and fired to approximately 1945 degrees Fahrenheit. The pieces that come out of the kiln are bisque. They are sturdy and hardened with a measurable porosity based on the exact recipe of the clay body itself. The pots are then cooled, waxed and glazed. I fire all pieces at a range of Cone 5/6, about 2100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Once the glazed pots are cooled, I can add them to the collections available to you!
