Local teacher with the appropriate name of ‘Clay’ finds a new passion creating art with pottery
Clay Craig is a fun and energetic third-grade teacher who loves filling his life with things that bring joy to himself and others. He and his wife, Angela, live with their four kids in Santaquin.
Craig has been teaching third and fourth grades for 21 years and loves it. But around 15 years ago, he was introduced to a side hobby that quickly claimed a piece of his heart. Craig and a couple of his fellow Santaquin Elementary teachers decided on a whim to enroll in an evening pottery class offered by Payson High School.
The three pitched in together to purchase a pottery wheel, which is the same wheel Craig uses today. A few years ago, Craig decided to dedicate more time to his pottery business.
He enlisted the help of his kids to come up with a name. They told him that since his name is Clay, it obviously had to be included in the name. And that’s how the ingenious shop title “Kiln It With Clay” was born.
Craig dedicates a room in his house to the display of his finished hand-thrown pottery. He also has a shop behind his house where he spends hours at a time bringing his creations to life.
When asked what his favorite thing is about making pottery, his eyes lit up as he passionately described the process. He said, “There’s so much that I love about it. I can spend hours out there. I love making, I love glazing, I love all of it so much.”
Craig spends a lot of time lovingly creating each unique piece of pottery, and the results speak for themselves. Each product is made with impeccable attention to detail. Craig loves to use colorful glazes to bring personality to each piece. He also offers pieces in traditional pottery colors.
Kiln It With Clay offers many different types of pottery products. Shoppers can find soup bowls, chip-and-dip bowls, plates, berry colanders, and more. Two of the most popular shop products are succulent planters and yarn bowls. Both of them make great Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day gifts.
Craig is currently working on a website where people can go in the future to purchase his products. Currently, people can visit Kiln It With Clay’s Facebook and Instagram pages to follow the business and view available pottery pieces. Interested individuals can message Craig through these sites if they want to make purchases. They can also email kilnitwithclay@gmail.com (Peterson is a Serve Daily contributor.)
