East Otto Holiday Open House
East Otto Holiday Open House
Elliott Hutten of Hog-Shed Studio Pottery celebrating 40 years!
Elliott Hutten, owner of Hog-Shed Studio Pottery, will be reaching quite a milestone next year as she will be celebrating her 40th year in business making pottery at her studio showroom in Otto, NY.
Starting out of her home as a holiday business to supplement her husband’s income as they raised their family, Hutten turned what was a hobby into a very successful business. An outbuilding behind the barn on their property was turned into a working studio and eventually included a showroom for displaying and selling her handmade products.
As with most businesses, Covid-19 upended everything that was part of the normal routine, and a source of income, into a stressful time of uncertainty according to Hutten. “A very large part of our business and income came from all the local art shows we attended which were canceled,” said the artist.
Spending her pandemic time creating in the studio, she has shelves of one-of-a-kind pieces ready for a new home. “I have such a wonderful following of customers that come back time after time to take a little piece of me into their homes and become part of their every day life,” said Hutten, “and that makes me feel so grateful and blessed.”
The process that is involved to get to the finished product starts with a lump of clay, which Hutten buys by the ton, then molds it on the potter’s wheel. From there the pieces go through an air drying period to take the pieces from greenware to bisque, which allows the handling of the piece without breaking. The pieces are then dipped into large buckets of different glazes before they are decorated by painting with brushes to create the one-of-a-kind product. The next step is a glaze firing, where the temperature reaches almost 2400 degrees Fahrenheit to make it safe for use in microwaves and dishwashers.
Adding another level of uniqueness, Hutten has a gas kiln that uses propane gas, as opposed to the electric kilns, allowing for more choices of glazes and different colors not available with the electric kilns.
This weekend, November 5th, 6th and 7th from 10:00am-5:00pm, the Hog-Shed Studio Pottery will be celebrating their annual Holiday Open House. With a showroom full of handmade creative pottery items including bowls, mugs, casseroles, vases, whimsical cats, mice and snowmen, as well as 2021 holiday ornaments, trees and angels, shoppers will be able to start their Christmas gift giving list and meet the extremely talented artist herself.
Calling her business a “seasonable business” from May through Christmas the artist said, “Let’s face it … it can get pretty dicey coming to the shop in Otto in those WNY winters.
Hog-Shed Studio Pottery is located at 8420 Maples Road (County Road #13), Otto, NY. For more information including directions and a map, call 716-244-2967 or visit www.eastotto.com.
Joining Elliott in the East Otto Country Holiday Open House Showcase is Robin Zefers Clark of Brookside Studio Watercolors. A highly sought after artist of original watercolor and colored pencil paintings, Zefers Clark is pleased to be a part of this annual holiday event once again this year. With a focus on dogs, cats and horses that appear so lifelike, the artist can do portraits of your family’s four legged friends along with home portraits and grandcestor portraits from your photos. Brookside Studio Watercolors is located just down the road from Hog-Shed Studio Pottery, at 8363 Maples Road, Otto, NY. Phone 716-713-5359 or visit brooksidestudio.com.