About Barbara Hanselman

The story of how a claysmith found her calling — and never looked back.

A Narrative on My Career in Clay

From interior design to the potter's bench

Before I found clay, I ate, slept, and breathed interior and architectural design — my life revolved around my client list. That changed in 1994, when I attended a workshop given by Jeanne Haskell at The Vermont Clay Studio in Montpelier, Vermont. Something clicked. Clay spoke to me in a way that blueprints never had.

I went on to study at Perkins Center for the Arts in Moorestown, New Jersey, and at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I sought out workshops from clay artists I admired, discovering them through galleries and national publications. Each experience deepened my commitment to hand-building.

Today I call myself a claysmith — a midwife in the birthing of all things clay. My work spans beads, cups, pots, trays, rattles, pendants, earrings, and beyond. Every piece carries the imprint of the maker, the user, and the society where the art of clay is permitted to flourish.

Intaglio Flexible Rubber Stamp Mats

Barbara designed a series of intaglio flexible rubber stamp mats for surface texturing on clay. The collection includes three distinctive patterns:

• Paisley INTAGLIO — an ornate, flowing paisley motif
• Lattice Leaf — an organic lattice of overlapping leaves
• CLEOPATRA — a bold, regal design

These mats allow clay artists to press intricate, repeatable textures into slabs and hand-built forms, adding depth and character to their work.

Barbara Hanselman's journey into clay began not with a potter's wheel but with a deep appreciation for interior and architectural design. For years, her world revolved around client lists, blueprints, and the careful balancing of space and form. That all shifted in 1994 when she attended a workshop led by Jeanne Haskell at The Vermont Clay Studio. Something about the tactile nature of clay — its responsiveness, its warmth, its willingness to be shaped and reshaped — spoke to her in ways that drawn plans never could. It was the beginning of a love affair that would redefine her entire creative identity.

From that pivotal workshop, Barbara immersed herself in formal study, training at Perkins Center for the Arts in Moorestown, New Jersey, and later at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia. These institutions helped her build a strong technical foundation while encouraging her to explore her own voice. She learned to throw, pinch, coil, and carve, experimenting with stoneware, porcelain, and earthenware along the way. Each material offered its own personality — some sturdy and grounded, others delicate and refined — and Barbara found joy in coaxing beauty from all of them.

Today, her work reflects the playful, whimsical sensibility that defines her studio practice. She crafts earrings, pendants, necklaces, and beads with careful attention to shape and glaze, often incorporating shards and carved leaves into her designs. Her hollow forms, rattles, pitchers, bowls, and lidded pots carry a hand-built charm that feels both personal and inviting. Glazes in soft blues, warm terra sigillata tones, and muted earth shades give each piece a distinctive finish, while copper accents and intaglio details add subtle surprises for the wearer to discover.

Barbara's studio is a space of continuous exploration, where each new form builds on the lessons of the last. She finds inspiration in nature — in leaves, garden bells, and the organic curves of wood — as well as in the traditions of pottery that stretch back through generations. Whether she is crafting a set of trays, a single carved pendant, or a tumbled dish, her work carries the same spirit of curiosity and delight. For Barbara, clay is not merely a material; it is a language through which she shares her vision with the world, one handmade piece at a time.