Pine Mills Pottery studio and gallery

Welcome to the Pine Mills Pottery web site.  We appreciate your interest in fine handmade pottery and hope you enjoy learning about our studio and work.  Our studio and gallery are located in the beautiful rolling woodlands of Northeast Texas about 100 miles east of Dallas and 30 miles north of Tyler.  Visitors are welcome at the pottery showroom where a large selection of our thoughtfully designed pottery can be purchased.  The pottery is usually open seven days a week from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., but if you are making a special trip please phone ahead to make sure the studio is open, as we are occasionally closed.  Directions to the pottery can be found here: DIRECTIONS.  There are many other things of interest to do locally. Check out our list of special places in our area to eat and visit here: THINGS TO DO LOCALLY. For accomodations in the area click here: AREA ACCOMMODATIONS.

This web site will give you a sampling of the exceptional ceramics made in our studio.  Visiting our showroom you will find a large selection of individual works of interest to collectors of fine contemporary ceramics, as well as everyday dinnerware and serving pieces.  All pieces are totally handmade from stoneware clay that we blend ourselves using nine separate ingredients, including four different clays from various mines across the southern United States.  We use no molds, slip casting, jiggering, ram pressing, commercial glazes or commercially prepared claybodies.  Each piece is lovingly created by ceramic artists Daphne Roehr Hatcher or Gary Hatcher.

Pine Mills Pottery was established in 1979 by Gary and Daphne after their return from Europe where they apprenticed with potters in England, France and Greece, including eighteen months at Lowerdown Pottery in Devon with David Leach and a shorter period of time with his brother Michael Leach at Yelland Pottery.  Work created at Pine Mills Pottery is primarily wood-fired stoneware, both thrown and constructed from slabs.  Work is produced in multiples, focusing on form, color and a high degree of quality.  Most work is fired in a 128 cubic foot Bourry box wood-fired kiln to cone 12 several times a year.  The kiln was built in 1983 and has been fired over 100 times.  In addition to their wood-fired kiln, the Hatchers built a smaller 50 cubic foot gas-fired car kiln in 1987, in which bisque and glaze firing is done.  Daphne and Gary work independently of each other and rarely collaborate on pieces, though they share the same studio, clays, glazes and kilns.