Round Trip Clayworks
New Britian, CT
Website

Round Trip Clayworks is a team of two ceramic artists and partners, Drew Darley and Erika Novak. Together they hand-make functional and decorative ceramic art. The two met while studying at Central Connecticut State University in an elective ceramics class. Drew majored in Mathematics and Erika double majored in Environmental Geography and Art. Taking pottery class after pottery class, the pair soon realized they wanted to continue to make pots after graduation. Together, they leaped to be full-time potters in spring 2017. They then opened their own working ceramics studio in Avon, CT in the spring of 2018. Over the past year, Erika and Drew have traveled the region, showing their work at nationally acclaimed arts and crafts shows, winning awards and recognitions along the way.

Erika and Drew work together to make a variety of forms and art such as decorative vases and bottles, cups, and mugs, as well as lamps and hanging objects. Many pieces are collaborative efforts, where both have a hand in their creation. Each piece of pottery is thrown on the potter’s wheel using stoneware or high fired porcelain paying special attention to form and shape. Throwing techniques and skill are translated into smooth, round forms with ideal weight and wall thickness. Finished pieces attain a high level of craftsmanship and craftwomanship. Drew specializes in formulating unique, one of a kind crystalline glazes. These glazes are made in shop, mixed in small batches by hand. These special glazes are specifically formulated to grow crystals on the surface of the pots during the kiln firing. Because of the organic nature of the glaze, every pot is unique and can never be replicated. Similarly unique, Erika focuses on the decoration, carving, and atonement of surface design on the pots. All carvings are done by hand, line by line at a time without the use of samps or pressed in textures. These patterns are often influenced by Modern Art and Art Deco motifs. No two pieces are ever made the same, ensuring that each piece of pottery made by Erika and Drew in the Round Trip Clayworks studio is a unique piece of ceramic artwork.