Justin Dean - Mississippi Clay Potter

03/02/2026

Final pieces fired from 2025

01/24/2026

From collecting the clay to fully processing it by hand, this was a total of one hour from start to finish. What makes it special is the color. The purple didn’t come easy—it came from an extremely small pocket of wild purple clay, mixed in with several other clays. Every bit had to be carefully picked and separated by hand.

That’s kind of how life works too.

We’re all a mix of positive and negative—experiences, emotions, choices, lessons. You can’t remove every bit of the negative, and you shouldn’t try to. What matters is what becomes the majority. When the positive outweighs the negative, the final result changes.

That’s how this clay ended up purple.
Not because everything was purple…
…but because most of it was.

📸 Photo 1: Dry clay straight from the ground
📸 Photo 2: Clay crushed and processed by hand
📸 Photo 3: Clay after sand and water were added back

What you allow to dominate your life will shape what you become.

💜

01/24/2026

These three photos tell a whole story.

From collecting the clay to fully processing it by hand, this was a total of one hour from start to finish. What makes it special is the color. The purple didn’t come easy—it came from an extremely small pocket of wild purple clay, mixed in with several other clays. Every bit had to be carefully picked and separated by hand.

That’s kind of how life works too.

We’re all a mix of positive and negative—experiences, emotions, choices, lessons. You can’t remove every bit of the negative, and you shouldn’t try to. What matters is what becomes the majority. When the positive outweighs the negative, the final result changes.

That’s how this clay ended up purple.
Not because everything was purple…
…but because most of it was.

📸 Photo 1: Dry clay straight from the ground
📸 Photo 2: Clay crushed and processed by hand
📸 Photo 3: Clay after sand and water were added back

What you allow to dominate your life will shape what you become.

💜

01/17/2026

From the Earth of Mississippi: The Wild Clay Paddle Teapot

There is something special about working with material you’ve harvested yourself. This isn't store-bought clay; this is Wild Processed Clay sourced directly from Simpson County, Mississippi.

This piece is a small, handmade Japanese-style paddle teapot. By using traditional paddle techniques with our local wild clay, I’m able to create a piece that feels connected to the land it came from. The natural texture and mineral content of the Simpson County earth give it a finish and "soul" that you just can't get from commercial clay bodies.

01/06/2026

Read full description and feel free to share! 🏺

Like George Ohr stated later in his career, I believe that too much work goes into digging and processing clay to cover it up with glazes. �Instead, I allow the natural clay body, firing marks, and surface variations to remain visible.

01/01/2026

11/27/2025

All wild processed clay

02/23/2025

Created at least 5,400 years ago, this bowl with human feet is attributed to the Predynastic period of ancient Egypt, specifically the Late Naqada I–Naqada II phases. It is made of red polished pottery and features a unique design with human feet on the bottom of the bowl. It measures 13.2 x 13.7 x 9.8 cm (5.19 x 5.38 x 3.88 in).

This artifact is now housed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, New York, United States. It was acquired in 1910 through purchase from Mohammed Mohassib in Luxor with funds from the Rogers Fund.