About the Artist

Caryn Newman, Willowood Pottery

My aesthetic derives from the Japanese production forms and methods I learned at the Great Barrington Pottery in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, under an apprenticeship with the late Richard Bennett who studied pottery-making in Matsue, Japan. 

I joined the group of young potters who lived communally, working together in the studio 7 days a week. With Bennett, we fired the traditional anagama wood-burning kiln with scrap wood from the local lumber mill. 

After my apprenticeship, I established Crow Hill Pottery in rural Abbot Village, Maine with my partner. We created a cottage industry, hiring local friends to produce functional, gas-fired stoneware with us. We were among the founding members of the Maine Potters Guild and craft cooperative retail outlets in Portland, Bar Harbor and Waterville, Maine.

I moved back to New Jersey in 1983.  For a number of years, while working in commercial real estate, I continued making pottery in my spare time. I used the studio space at the local community college, with my wheels in storage. I held annual holiday sales in my home and filled special orders.

I created Willowood Pottery in 2012, building a studio in my renovated garage, fully heated and air conditioned with new windows and glass doors, creating wonderful light to work. According to custom, I named it after its location on Willowood Drive. Retired from property management, I have been making pottery full time again since 2017. 

I am a member of the Red Tulip Gallery, a cooperative endeavor of 20 local artists and craftspeople in various media in New Hope, PA.  We are in our 11th year and have developed a strong following among the local community and visitors to scenic Bucks County. 

HomeFront's ArtJam is an significant annual event in Princeton, NJ and much of my larger pieces are sold there.  Profits benefit HomeFront's art therapy program, which benefits a local population transitioning from homelessness.

I earned a BA in philosophy and English at Douglass College, Rutgers University. 

Caryn Newman