David & Emily Wortman
Since 1977, Wortman Pottery has been David and Emily working together to create fun and functional pottery. David’s love of clay was strongly influenced by his family’s relationship with the Andersons of Shearwater Pottery in Ocean Springs Mississippi. Armed with a degree in photography and ceramics from Santa Barbara Art Institute, he returned to Louisiana to earn an MFA in ceramics from Tulane University.
David came home to Cajun country to build a family, home and business with Emily. They each have their own style with Emily as the handbuilder and David the potter. And they have different lines of work as well – the simple clean lines of the utilitarian dinnerware and kitchen items, Emily’s work which embellishes those items with Louisiana themes of crawfish, gators and oyster shells, and a separate line of liturgical pieces for churches countrywide. Emily creates oyster shells for 2 specific uses – the amazing realistic shells to be used in the oven and the slightly heavier shells that can be used on the grill!
The Wortmans are a 2 person operation. They mix their clay body and glazes and pieces are either hand built, wheel thrown or created from slabs. Then the work is fired to 2300 degrees in a 24 cu ft gas kiln. Wortman Pottery can be found at various local and nationwide craft galleries, at the online Etsy store, and of course out at their studio and showroom amidst the rice and crawfish fields between Duson and Rayne.
