After Jim Halvorson took his first ceramics class in college, he skipped the rest of his classes that week and chose to spend 12 hours a day working in the studio on pottery.
Halvorson said he was instantly hooked on the process of turning a block of clay into something useful and beautiful.
“You get to plan the mug and play with fire, so what’s not to like?” Halvorson said. “I estimate I’ve made about 30,000 pots over the years.”
Halvorson’s work is for sale at the Brown County Craft Gallery and By Hand Gallery in Fountain Square Mall in downtown Bloomington.
The Bloomington gallery, which showcases the work of about 70 local artists, has struggled during the last few years because of the effects of the parking meters, Halvorson said. People used to have free two-hour parking and would wander around downtown. Now, with the meters, people come, pay, do what they need to do and leave.
Nevertheless, Halvorson said sales are picking up.
“Sales have been coming back up,” Halvorson said. “People are getting used to the new routine.”
Because of this, Halvorson said he is hopeful about the future. He is applying for art fairs right now and said he should hear back soon.
Halvorson is also a member of the By Hand co-op, which helps with maintenance and packing supplies.
He said the advantage of making ceramics is the items are usable and thus more marketable to customers.
He moved to Bloomington in 1977 and worked as an art teacher at Arsenal Tech High School in Indianapolis. In his free time, he made ceramics.
He’s made pieces for galleries throughout the Midwest and for stores on the East Coast, including Macy’s in New York City.
Halvorson retired from teaching in 2012 and since then has relaunched his business from the studio he built behind his house, Halvorson said.
“It’s fun getting back into the cycle,” Halvorson said. “You don’t have the pressure you used to have as a young artist.”
Halvorson said he mainly works listening to Hawaiian music, which reminds him of his brother, who lives in Honolulu.
He also uses a kiln he built himself, which he gets up to about 2,350 degrees. But he’s never been burnt while working.
Halvorson said he has his pension from teaching to support himself, and his wife also teaches at universities around Indiana, so there isn’t too much pressure on his business.
“Right now, the goal is to sell enough to keep making more,” Halvorson said. “I want to make things that people will use and enjoy.”
