The woman behind ybp
My name is Sarah and I started this adventure in 2015.
Since I was a young girl, I was surrounded by handmade crafts, nature, and traveling, with a passion for interior design and architecture. I was always keeping my hands busy, mainly with sewing and knitting. I started this art as a therapy and grounding technique due to a dear friend passing and not knowing how to handle my emotions. Throughout the many hats I've worn many hats through my professional life, pottery has been and still is my pillar. I fell in love with the challenges it brought, the endless possibilities of what to make, and the people. I feel I belong in this space.
After only a few years, I knew I wanted to start sharing my creations; so, in 2018 Yellow Birch Pottery was born.
The name came from a road trip I took with my mom, Phyllis, to Lubec, Maine, which I hold very close to my heart. We were fascinated by the ecology, flora, and beautiful environment. As we were exploring, that's when I learned about the Yellow Birch tree, its significance, uses, and symbolism. The memories and meaning were a perfect fit for my pottery endeavor - Yellow Birch Pottery resonated.
My creations are inspired by the natural world and culture through technique, form, and texture with a simple eclectic vibe. I am in constant exploration with clays, glazes, and firing techniques. Slowly I am dabbling in sourcing local clay bodies, local geology to create glazes, and flora for ashes to incorporate into the glazing. I am also involved in a variety of firing methods (listed below); most of which give organic appearances where no two pots are the same.
For me, pottery is the merging of creativity, engineering, science, quirky people, and delicious food. At this point, I have only touched the surface.
Since this is runner-up to my full-time job, I am currently only selling my creations at two events:
July - Tinicum Arts Festival; Tinicum, PA
December - Asbury Park Bazaar; Asbury Park, NJ
Updates will be mentioned on my IG @yellowbirchpottery. Should you have any questions or just want to say 'hello', please reach out in the 'GET IN TOUCH' section below.
Thank you for reading my story!
FIRING METHODS
WOODFIRE
ALTERNATIVE ATMOSPHERIC
HIGH FIRE REDUCTION
Wood is the fuel source for heating the kiln as well as producing the ash that either creates the glaze on the pots or adds to the glaze already existing on the pots. This type of firing gives an organic, one of a kind look where no two pieces will ever be the same. These pots are fired in an Anagama Kiln in Pittstown, NJ which fires con
Wood is the fuel source for heating the kiln as well as producing the ash that either creates the glaze on the pots or adds to the glaze already existing on the pots. This type of firing gives an organic, one of a kind look where no two pieces will ever be the same. These pots are fired in an Anagama Kiln in Pittstown, NJ which fires continuously for 7 days using approx. 7 cords of wood. The kiln reaches Cone 10+ temps.
HIGH FIRE REDUCTION
ALTERNATIVE ATMOSPHERIC
HIGH FIRE REDUCTION
As the organic material in the clay, glaze and kiln atmosphere burns it uses up oxygen, leaving an oxygen-less environment. When reduction firing, typically mottled, rich, earthy colors are obtained. Due to air movement in the kiln, glaze appearance is affected from pot to pot depending on how the air hits the pot and what glazes are present on adjacent pots. The kiln reaches Cone 10 temps.
ALTERNATIVE ATMOSPHERIC
ALTERNATIVE ATMOSPHERIC
ALTERNATIVE ATMOSPHERIC
I continually explore alternative atmospheric firing methods. This includes raku, obvara, barrel, saggar, and soda firings. Each method produces a unique one of a one-of-a-kind appearance where no two piece will ever be the same.
MEDIUM TEMP OXIDATION
ALTERNATIVE ATMOSPHERIC
ALTERNATIVE ATMOSPHERIC
Cone 6 Oxidation produces more consistent results from pot to pot.