Visions in Clay 2025
Heather Yates
Website- www.hlcpottery.com
Instagram- www.instagram.com/hlcpottery
I consider ceramic art and advanced practice nursing to be complimentary, and I actively engage in both professions. In my career as a nurse practitioner, I’ve found that creative pursuits help recharge my spirit and keep me grounded, allowing me to be more present in each moment. My chosen creative pursuit is ceramic art.
I spend time making ceramics in my home studio, which is always evolving and expanding. I have training in fine art and ceramics from Vanderbilt University, and while much of my ceramics experience is self-directed, I also completed art courses alongside health classes during my studies. The patience and attention to detail required in ceramics have enhanced my ability to provide care for my patients.
I create functional ceramics using stoneware clay and combine wheel-throwing, carving and hand-building techniques to create a variety of shapes, all of which can be used in some way. I find inspiration in the landscapes around me, from the natural shapes and colors to the rhythms and patterns in nature. My work is shaped by the coastline, the forest, mountain streams, and the sky—places of tranquility. I use these colors and patterns to create the surface finishes on my work. This inspiration is a reminder to slow down, find presence and beauty in the day-to-day, and to stay focused in a world that is sometimes noisy, distracting and chaotic.

Ocean Waves Bowl
Laguna B-mix stoneware clay body, underglaze and cone 5/6 glazes
Fired to cone 5 with 15-minute hold in oxidation
5.5" H, 9.5 " W, 9.5" D
2025
$150






