About the artist
Kay Lapp
Potter, painter, and the hands behind every Wandering Mud piece. Originally from Pennsylvania, now based in Charlotte, North Carolina, where she serves as studio manager at The Little Studio.
The short version
Seven years in, still chasing the same quiet pleasure of making something useful.
Kay grew up in Pennsylvania, where she first sat down at a wheel about seven years ago and never really got back up. What started as a curiosity grew into a wholesale pottery practice, with her work shipping out to shops and customers across the country.
These days, home is Charlotte, North Carolina. By day she runs the floor as studio manager at The Little Studio, teaching, troubleshooting kilns, and keeping a busy community space running. By night and weekend, Wandering Mud takes over, with smaller batches now, more time on each piece, and the freedom to make exactly what she wants to make.
The best place to see what’s coming out of the studio between drops is on Instagram, @kayrahjean.
The process
From a lump of clay to your shelf.
Nothing leaves the studio without passing across the wheel, the painting table, and the kiln, twice. Here’s the rhythm of how a piece comes together.
01
Forming
Each piece begins on the wheel or by hand, shaped from a ball of raw stoneware clay.
02
Drying & Trimming
Once leather-hard, pieces are trimmed to refine their shape and left to dry completely.
03
Bisque Firing
The first kiln firing hardens the clay and prepares it to accept glaze and brushwork.
04
Painting & Glazing
Designs are hand-painted, then glazed and fired a second time to a durable, food-safe finish.