The annual Hilltown 6 Pottery Tour and sale returns July 23-24. Above is work by Mark Shapiro from a previous tour.

Robbie Jo Heidinger, of Weshampton, is working on a new porcelain series called Pompeian Modern, influenced by the simple glass forms from the 7th century BC yet made out of porcelain.

“They are small works that feel good in your hands. They are tactile, elegant, and have a connection history. They are forms that have haunted me for 30 years so I finally took the time to explore them,” said Heidinger, one of the potters participating in the 16th annual Hilltown 6 Pottery Tour and Sale on Saturday and Sunday, July 23 and 24.

Visitors will meet the potters and their guest artists. There will be educational demonstrations and hands-on activities: Watch a potter turn a lump of clay into a pot, climb inside a giant wood-burning kiln, see how a ceramic artist creates a pot that looks like a stone freshly pulled from the earth.

Nine Hilltown potters will open their studios and kilns to the public.

Sixteen years ago, a group of six Hilltown potters decided to band together to share what they do and where they live and work with the public. Thus Hilltown 6 was born.

“Through the years, we added three more excellent potters and a whole range of educational programming to create what we are now known for today,” said Christy B. Knox, a host potter. “The name stuck and pays homage to the original six, and this year that six represents the 26 potters who are participating.”

The potters in the tour will offer a wide variety of both functional and sculptural ceramics.

From mugs that feel good in your hands to vases to hold flowers beautifully, each piece of pottery is made with care and a wealth of pottery understanding.

Other forms include teapots, dinnerware, pitchers, cooking pots and serving dishes.

There are also sculptural objects including boat shapes and sculptural forms that looks like polished stone, to name a few.

The potters on this tour use a variety of building techniques, surface decoration and firing processes. Pots are made on the potter’s wheel, hand built from slabs of clay, hewn from a block native clay and slip cast.

The surface decoration is achieved using such techniques as slips and glazes, embossed surfaces, water etching and a torch technique.

“Our potters and guests use a wide range of firing processes. Wood fired kilns, gas kilns, electric kilns utilizing solar energy, salt firing and soda firing. We fire almost every way clay can be fired, and all to great effect!” Knox said.

The tour has earned national recognition. Locally, it has become an annual reunion of the family of artists, customers and pottery lovers. Easily accessible from New York, Boston, Hartford, Albany and the Berkshires, the tour draws visitors from across the region and beyond.

“I have never met a pottery tour I didn’t like; what a great opportunity to step inside an artist’s studio and life, they are all such rich experiences,” Knox said. “That being said, our tour is unique in that our educational emphasis carries with it the opportunity to not only a way to find beautiful and unique pots but to also show and explain how they are created.”

Hilltown 6 is a group of well-known potters based in the hilltowns of Western Massachusetts:

Robbie Heidinger, Christy Knox, Maya Machin, Michael McCarthy, Hiroshi Nakayama, Mark Shapiro, Eric Smith, Constance Talbot and Sam Taylor. The 2022 guests include: Hayne Bayless, Ben Eberle, David Eichelberger, Justine and Grant Figura, Annette Gates, Ellen Grenadier, Jamie Guggina, Janel Jacobson, Naysan McIlhargey, Mathew Meunier, Will Swanson, Sam Staas (Intern), Ikuzi Teraki and Jeanne Bisson, Sumiyo Toribe, Jerilyn Virden, Tom White and Dallas Wooten.

“The hills of Western Massachusetts are so beautiful in July, a hidden gem; lush and green, with rivers, water falls, and valleys along the way,” Knox said, encouraging visitors to drive on some backcountry roads and seek out the out-of-the-way places that these potters call home.

“I work and create alone for many months at a time. It’s healthy for me to talk to people and get their reaction to what I make,” Heidinger said. “What other people see and gravitate to teaches me a ton. I also enjoy teaching and describing my process. Ceramics is so process heavy that it’s nice to have people eager to hear and understand all that goes into the making of a clay object.”

There are a few pieces that people associate with Heidinger: Twylas are handbuilt geometric vessels that express movement and speed. They are mostly shown in galleries and large white spaces: “Customers during this sale gravitate towards my smaller pieces that are comfortable to hold and functional.”

The Hilltown 6 will donate a portion of its proceeds to local elementary schools for art supplies.

The tour is free and runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.

Visit hilltown6.com for more information and to download a map.

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