Red Earth Ceramics is, basically, Joanne Ray. That’s me. I’m a ceramic artist who loves to create boxes, vases, plates, little purses that are actually boxes—lots of things that are hand built. I’m not a potter who sits at the potter’s wheel and makes round things, like mugs and bowls. Though I occasionally make bowls and round things—but made out of slabs of clay or coils. I love the quiet of handbuilding.

I’ve been a ceramicist for over a decade now. I took a pottery course at a low point in my medical career and the minute my hands touched clay I knew I had found the art medium I was searching for. I started making small boxes, selling them at the Farmers’ Market in Las Cruces, NM. Later on, I lived in Colorado, where I eventually found a gallery in Canon City and started to expand my repertoire. Back in New Mexico—Rio Rancho now—I continue to discover the various ways handbuilding makes me happy. Check out my gallery to see where clay is taking me now.