Long before there was Devine Perks Pottery, there was PoPo Aggie Pottery and the man behind it - ceramic artist and my beloved uncle, Steve Hawthorn. for my Uncle Steve.
When I was younger, we used to spend a large portion of time with my dad's best friend, affectionately known as Uncle Steve. He had a property about 45 minutes away from where I grew, closer toward the Ohio River, deep into "redneck country" in Adams County. Going to his house was always an exciting trip. We'd stop at an Amish general store along the way, where we'd get lunch meats and cheeses to take with us for lunch. After the Amish store, we'd wind down and around some back roads for what seemed like forever until we pulled up his long gravel driveway, being greeted by his giant black Bouvier de Flanders.
Now, we had a tradition when going to Uncle Steve's house. This tradition came from the hobby he passed down to me: pottery. Every visit took us through various stages of pottery. We'd throw a new piece with his guidance, glaze and fire the pieces from last time, and take home the finished work from the visit before that. I can still remember what it was like to sit in front of him at the wheel, his hands over mine, teaching me about how to apply pressure to shape the clay, keeping it even as you pull up to stretch the clay thinner and taller. Of course, when I was still small enough to fit in front of him, none of my work was a masterpiece by anyone's standards. But as I got older, and visits continued, he'd often get me set up in the shop then leave me there to work away while he and my aunt chatted with my parents up at the house. Growing up the way we did left me with an innate sense of joy that occurs at any time I get my hands dirty. I was constantly taking art classes in school, and my senior year I selected to enroll in a morning ceramics class with my favorite art mentor, Mrs. Hendricks. Starting off every day in a bucket of brown water and rusty red clay brought me untold amounts of joy, and being in an advanced art class, Mrs. Hendricks gave us plenty of artistic freedom to choose our projects. She would give us a basic outline and guidance along the way, but all designs and creations were up to us to choose. Luckily, she'd let me come in during my free periods and homeroom to work outside of class time too.
After high school, my college curriculum didn't allow much free time to pursue ceramics, and being so far away, trips to my uncles happened next to never. Then in my junior year of college, we tragically lost him to a heart attack. When my parents called to tell me, my heart shattered like a piece of pottery knocked off the top shelf. It's amazing how much allow ourselves to set aside, thinking "There's always next time." The next time I stepped into his pottery shed wasn't to create art, but to sort through the unfinished pieces he left behind. My aunt knew how special pottery with him had been to me, and by the time I left the farm to go back to school, I had inherited PoPo Aggie Pottery.
Over the next few years, I finished my undergraduate degree, followed by a master degree, and then followed an internship opportunity to Biloxi, Mississippi, where I’ve spent the last eight years carving a fantastic life out of saltwater and sand.
When the pandemic hit in 2020, it brought with it the perfect opportunity to buy my first home - which immediately constituted a trip down from Ohio with my home goods and pottery supplies in tow. Since then, I have slowly pieced together a home studio in the garage, spending the ample free time provided by the pandemic renewing my relationship with clay and artistic endeavors. Time went by turning gifts for friends into joining local galleries and setting up at art market. I’ll share more about that another time.
Fast forward to summer of 2026 and I’m officially two years into Devine Perks Pottery being an official business, offering my own hand-crafted art, educational workshops, private lessons and curated art events across the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
While I would trade every pot made and every dollar earn to have my Uncle Steve back, I take heart in knowing he would be so proud of all I have accomplished. I pray one day we will see each other again, sitting at the wheel side by side, making ceramic art for the angels. Until then, I will continue on cherishing his legacy that was passed down to me.
All my love, Mountain Man
