Kathy Cady is a native of northwest Connecticut. She earned her Masters in art education and teaches ceramics at a local high school. The Hillside Pottery studio is located in Barkhamsted where she lives with her husband, three young sons and 2 golden retrievers. Kathy has developed her pit firing techniques in the past ten years since selecting pottery as her primary medium. Inspired by ancient and classical forms, her pottery creations maintain a fluidity and gracefulness that compliment the primitive pit firing process. 

Each one-of-a-kind vessel undergoes many steps before it is finished.  The vessel is hand thrown on the wheel; it is trimmed, and then burnished with a river stone.  Bisque firing in the kiln prepares the urn for firing in the four-foot deep pit.  Red oak and native pine logs burn steadily as the pottery begins its transformation.  Each firing lasts more than four hours and requires constant addition of wood to maintain intense firing temperatures.  After 12 hours in the pit the pots can be safely removed for the final steps of washing, waxing and addition of fabricated metalwork.   The many variables associated with the firing and finishing techniques assure that each pot is a unique work of art.  The colors and patterns created by the heat, smoke, and chemicals produce results that cannot be duplicated.  Each stoneware vessel is a unique product of the vast number of variables that exist with this primitive firing technique.

The purple, blue and orange flames that danced around the urns have disappeared. Concealed beneath the ash are the latest creations from Hillside Pottery. Attended by family and friends, everyone assists with the collection of sticks, splitting of wood, crumpling of newspaper and stoking of the fire. The fire creates a festive atmosphere. Guitar music can be heard behind the crackling of the wood as the flames leap into the air. As the fire recedes, children wrapped in blankets nod off to sleep in the Adirondack chairs warmed by the rocks surrounding the pit.