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Rebecca Graves Prowse | Episode 1091
Rebecca Graves Prowse, founder of Gravesco Pottery, traded her 20-year corporate retail career for a pottery wheel in 2010. From her Indianapolis studio, she crafts modern, functional ceramics that blend classic design with handmade character. Her background in retail design influences her aesthetic, creating pieces that enhance daily rituals and become cherished heirlooms for collectors nationwide.
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How does your day start for you in the studio?
My day starts with checking in with everybody on the team first and making a list of what I am going to do for the day. And that has to be on paper.
How do you finish a day in the studio?
First thing I do is everything that I had on paper all day into Notion, which is an app for organizing and project management. And then I hit the reset button so the studio is fresh and clean for the next day.
What do you mean hit the reset button?
At the end of the day every tool gets put away, everything gets wiped down and cleaned up so the next morning when I come in it’s like the reverse of making your bed in the morning. I hit the reset button by making it all fresh.
What do you do to keep the air quality clean in your studio?
A few different things. Everything gets damp cleaned. I have an air filter system. I have large dust collectors as well that we turn on at the end of the day. I have a floor scrubber that we use regularly that’s a wet scrubber.
Do you have people help make your work?
Yes. In different phases I have had other production potters work for me. I don’t right now but Mackenzie helps with trimming and glazing and loading kilns and MacKenzie and Cassie will help with some of the handling.
What does it take to get something from an idea into actual production?
It’s usually rolling around in my noodle and I will sit down and do 15 or 20 iterations of it in clay with subtle changes and different amounts of clay and slightly different heights. Once it’s fired it comes down to how does it feel and function and I will pick one or two out of the batch and work to refine those.
Book: Dr WIll Cole
41:30
Are you using any commercial clay or glazes?
Yes, I am currently using Standard clay. I have also used Kentucky Mudworks. I love both of them. I mixed for awhile myself and I do not have the desire to do that hard of work. And I mix almost all of my own glazes. This year for the first time I used a couple of spectrum glazes for accent work and some Stroke and Coat for some detail work.
Book
The Inflammation Spectrum by Dr Will Cole
Contact
Instagram: @gravesco