Potters build studio
in the woods
When Dave and Sue Enna
moved from Gresham to the
Brightwood
woods,
they
dismantled their kiln and took
the bricks with them
The Rimas are potters who
have realized an am bition
shared by many craftsmen a
quiet place tocreate
Bumping along the rutted
ruud on the way to the Ennas'
studio, one wonders how the
pottery gate out in one piece
"W e haven't broken one yet,"
Sue Enna said while husband
Duve looked for a piece of wood
to knock on
They d id n 't want an in
dustrial setting They certainly
don't have one Theirs is a
home occupation
The name has been changed
from Powell Valley Pottery to
Enna Pottery, but the high
standards of craftsmanship
still apply.
Plans for the tri level wooden
studio were dreamed up and
laid out while the couple threw
pots on the wheel in a little shed
on Powell Boulevard
Converting the dream to
windows
and
wood was
something else
"W e built this studio ourself
with the help of our friends,"
Dave said "Getting this whole
wull up in one piece was really
something "
The cement slab was poured
professionally, but the Ennas
and friends did the rest
" It took us twice as long and
cost twice as much as we
planned," Sue shook her head
The project wasn’t without its
lighter moments
"W e kept m easuring but
everything was an inch off,”
Dave recalled " It wasn't until
the roof that we realized my
grandfather's cloth measuring
tape had shrunk ”
The clerestory design has
five tall windows with northern
exposure letting light into the
third level room where Dave
throws the pots mi the wheel
A specially designed machine
kneads the clay and spews out
just the right amount
Enna Pottery is thrown to a
uniform fraction of an inch for
each design; a set of eight
coffee mugs, for example, will
be identical in size
"You can't really perfect a
design unless you throw hun
dreds of them," Enna, who met
his w ife w hile they were
studying pottery in England,
said.
The middle level of the 30 by
20 foot building is Sue’s
domain—the glazing and kiln
room
The first, or bisque, firing is
done in a small electric kiln and
the second firing is done in a
large propane kiln ( " It holds
$600 worth") in an open, roofed
area attached to the studio It is
a bfg step up from the original
kiln, whose brick door had to be
rebuilt with each firing
The Ennas worry the cat will
creep into the warm kiln for a
nap
"W e don't want a cat
crem atorium," Sue said
The ground level is the
finishing room where ropes are
added to the hanging planters
and pots a re cleaned in
preparation for sale. There is
alsoa display area
"This is a cookie ja r for
d ie te rs ," D a v e held up a
cannister, whose lid was still
stuck shut from firing
If they had it todo over again,
the Ennas probatyy wouldn't
have those three flights of
stairs
“ But working on different
floors is probably what's kept
our marriage together," Dave
joked.
U tilitarian pottery is their
specialty They have designed
and
made
dinnerw are,
casseroles
and
serving
pieces- from huge bowls to
cover boxes I t ’s the earthy,
touchable kind of pottery.
P op u lar
item s
include
kerosene lanterns and hanging
flow er pots with built-in
drainers. The flower pots are
glazed on the outside but the
inside is unglazed so roots can
cling
“ There’s really nothing new
in pottery," Sue said. "We
thought we'd invented these
flower pots, but then we saw
one like it on page three in a
book a t the P ortlan d A rt
Museum It ’d been made in
something
lik e
1620
in
Massachusetts."
Putting out good pottery isn’t
enough, the dishes have to put
bread on the table
Enna P o tte ry is sold at
Gresham Gallery and ClouiT
tree and Sun and the couple has
attended arts and crafts fairs
every weekend since M ay,
putting more than 2,000 miles
on their car.
They enjoy m eeting old
friends at fairs like Gresham
Eestival of Eine Arts and Sandy
Mountain Festival,
" I really miss people drop
ping in to visit like they did in
Gresham,” Sue said.
The Ennas laugh about
people’s stereotypes of craf
tsmen
"Some people seem kind of
disappointed because we don't
live in a commune,” Sue said.
“ They’re surprised when we
tell them we have house
pay ments and a dishwasher ”
People sometimes have the
wrong idea of craftsmen as
businessmen.
“ There’s a huge barrier to
overcome because some people
think
craftsm en
a re n 't
dependable," Dave said. “ You
have to be a businessman as
well as a craftsman or you'd
starve to death.”
The entrepreneurs do have
one thing most young marrieds
with their own business don’t
have
The brick path leading to
their country home was once
their kiln
P O TTE R Y STUDIO in woods near Brightwood was built
by Sue and Dave Enna adjacent to their home. The tri-
level structure offers the gift of solitude for the creation
of Enna Pottery.
1
PO TTER Y K IL N fired with propane gas will hold $600
worth of pottery. Sue Enna loads the last of the com
mercial order for Medieval Inn. The weighted door just
slides down for firing and the appendage to the studio has
open sides to a llow heat and fumes to escape.
H U G E L U M P of clay is
transformed into a giant
flower pot by Dave Enna.
who studied the c ra ft in
England.
NATURAL L IG H T floods the top floor of Enua Pottery
studio where Dave throws the pots on the wheel.
craft* 1« the wonderful trade* you can make with other
work* of other are* artteaa*.
GUESS W HAT'S coming to dinner— Enna
Pottery. Dave and Sue Enna design and
make place settings, covered casserole*.
flower pots, bowls, kerosene lanterns and
the mugs you like to hold.