About

Alissa Goss Ceramics & Pottery offers useful and functional handcrafted tableware and decorative pieces. Alissa makes all her work using wheel-throwing and hand building techniques and selects materials such as smooth clay and satin glazes in neutral colors. Her contemporary style celebrates quiet beauty and the idea of less is more. Pieces in the collection like plates, bowls, serving dishes, mugs and tumblers are all eco-friendly, non-toxic, dishwasher safe and are designed for casual everyday use. You will also find unique houseware items like wall hooks, vases, and planters in her collection.

Alissa Goss lives and works in Nashville, TN. She began working with clay in 2003 at Santa Monica College in California, and it was there that she first got hooked on making pottery. Her studies in ceramics and sculpture continued at California College of the Arts (CCA) in San Francisco’s Bay Area, where she earned her BFA in Ceramics (2008). While living in the Bay Area, Alissa had the opportunity to work with several legendary ceramic artists, and this special time provided the foundation for finding her own craft and style always striving for effortless beauty.

   

Alissa is inspired to make pottery partly by her love of cooking and setting a beautiful table. The items made available in her collection are pieces that she loves and uses most herself. Long inspired by a daily ritual of making a good cup of coffee at home, Alissa’s favorite item to use are handmade mugs. 

behind the scenes.

This clip shows how Alissa uses a Jigger Arm (she built herself) to assist in making dinner plates. Tools like this help to run production of her dinnerware more efficiently, it also helps reduce body strain from repetitive movements while working at the wheel.

Here is Alissa working on another style of dinner plate. She uses a special mold she cast in plaster that attaches to her pottery wheel.

Her process.

Working in ceramics is a slow and cyclical process of making, drying, firing, glazing and so on.  For someone who can be short on patience (ahem…me) it’s a daily practice showing up, slowing down and chipping away at the work for the day. Each piece I make has been touched by my hands dozens of times before it becomes available to you here. And each day, I am so grateful I get to do this work.

There is an energy that is carried in handmade objects. It’s a slow process producing these collections, and they are meant to become a daily reminder to be present, take some time to quietly reflect and nourish your body and soul. 

There is nothing like collecting and using something handmade. You’ll notice the slight imperfections of where the makers hand has come into contact with the material. You’ll find beauty in subtle variations in color, texture and form. This is where the magic lives.

SHOP COLLECTIONS
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Use & Care instructions

 

You may be wondering how to best care for your handmade pottery. Here are just a couple tips that you might find useful.

  • Each item in my collection is carefully crafted by hand. Each are unique, and variation in color and texture does occur, which is part of the joy in owning a handmade object.

    Please rest assure, the clays and glazes I use which come into contact with food are always non-toxic.

    Occasionally, some of my items have an additional decorative element of 22K gold luster. In this case, items with luster are NOT dishwasher or microwave safe and should be hand-washed only.

  • Most items offered in my collection are dishwasher & microwave safe (unless otherwise noted when purchased). I personally recommend hand-washing delicate or fragile items.

    Items which have a 22k gold luster applied will absolutely NOT be safe in the microwave. The luster I use contains actual 22K gold and metal+microwave = sparks! These items should also be hand-washed only to preserve the luster.

    You may notice from time-to-time that using flatware on your pottery may mark the surface of the glaze. Don’t be alarmed, this is usually just a superficial surface scuff, and can typically be removed by using a damp sponge and a small amount of Bar Keepers Friend (a mild abrasive cleanser).

  • Should something happen to your pottery out of the ordinary and you’d like advice, you can always contact me for more help.