The Pine Tree Potters Guild is holding its popular spring pottery sale April 28 to 30 at the Old Town Hall in downtown Newmarket.
More than 2,000 unique pieces of functional and decorative porcelain, stoneware and raku pottery hand-crafted by guild members will be available for purchase.
"We've been very busy making a lot of things so that people will have a lot of choice," said Lisa Marie Oliphant, the guild's social media coordinator.
The guild runs a sale in November and April each year and even in the midst of COVID-19 with restrictions "the people in Newmarket were amazing" and managed to make the November sale — the first to be held at Old Town Hall — the guild's most successful one to date, said Oliphant.
The guild members enjoyed being in Newmarket and are thrilled to be able to hold the sale in the hall's "beautiful, wide-open space" once again, she said.
"That beautiful space at the Old Town Hall and Main Street area was just such a treat for everyone because they were not only able to enjoy the sale but to enjoy the town."
The sale comes just in time for Mother's Day, so shoppers have the opportunity to purchase a gift that has special meaning both to the artist who created it and to the recipient who receives a one-of-a-kind piece of art.
"The thing about hand-made things is that somebody did put a lot of love into it. . . someone has spent numerous hours creating something with their hands and that's transferable."
Spring is an "invigorating" time, said Oliphant. It's an opportunity to brush off winter and it gets the "creative juices flowing."
"Creation is happening in the world and creation is happening with our hands," she added.
The non-profit organization has been operating for more than 40 years with a goal to preserve and advance the ceramic arts. A percentage from its yearly sales goes toward keeping the building running, while also providing the talented artists and creators in the guild with a place to sell their merchandise.
Though located in Aurora, the guild has members from throughout York Region, said Oliphant, who is from Newmarket herself. They represent all walks of life and their day jobs range from teachers to biologists to every industry in between.
The guild offers classes, in-guild and outreach educational programs and demonstrations, and workshops for children and adults, but the members themselves are also constantly learning from more experienced members, she said.
"You never stop learning. . . I do something as far away from art in my day-to-day work so to be able to come in and then see a pile of clay become a beautiful vessel that people love to hold and place on their table, it's just amazing. It's amazing to see that you can do that."
The guild also supports the community through projects like Empty Bowls, which raises funds on behalf of local charities who work to relieve hunger and homelessness.
Oliphant has always had an appreciation for the 3,000 year-old art form, she said, and had little knowledge of the process when she first began but as she progressed, so did her appreciation of the art.
A lot of machine-made items can be purchased in a store "but there's an artistry in creating something with your hands," Oliphant said.
The spring pottery sale will be held April 28 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., April 29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and April 30 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Newmarket Old Town Hall, 460 Botsford St.
To learn about the guild or the sale visit the Pine Tree Potters Guild website.
