A potter since 1970, I have thrown thousands of pounds of clay, thousands of pots, bowls and jars. Formerly a teacher at the college where we met, now Rita and I have our own studio, innovation and creativity are our lives. With work in regional, national and international collections, we now find great pleasure in meeting customers one on one at the shows we attend.

Working in fine porcelain, most of our pieces are wheel thrown and all are handcrafted. From tiny miniature teapots to large service bowls, platters to wall hangings, elegant vases and classic jars, each creation is unique. Some are meant for every day use, while others are “one of” — unique ware that is highly collectable. We make their own glazes and fire our own kiln. We hope you will find our work to be both affordable and irresistible.

I am showing at the Santa Barbara Arts and Crafts Show (Rita will join the show at a later date.). Rita has shown her own photography as well. We met when she was a student in my ceramic class back in 1982, and since she claimed she would do “anything an A”, she became my wife the following year. (Note — she finally earned her “A” for a sculpture in her last quarter.)

The pottery that appears on this website is work that was shown at the “Beach Show”. Viewing it allows you to have a peek at just a few of the styles of we do. If you see something you like, please feel free to contact us at Shaw Pottery for purchase information. We would be happy to discuss the creation of a similar piece especially for you.

Some of my pots were used to illustrate an article about the Beach Show in the Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine, summer issue, 2004 (see above). The “Seasons” is available at galleries, wineries, fine gift shops, hotels and inns throughout Santa Barbara County.

As time goes by, we will add more pages to our website, and have more pieces available for purchase. Of course they look much better when you actually view them live!

We would love to have an opportunity to meet you and show you more of our work up close and personal!*

Thanks for visiting our website. We hope you enjoy the work.

Joe and Rita Shaw

*It’s important to actually see them. We’ve been hearing from our customers about how these pots “feel”! People pick them up and hold them and remark about “how good they feel”.