Growing up in Lake Preston, Nicole Volk wanted to learn how to make pottery. An unusual dream, perhaps, for an elementary student living in a rural South Dakota town whose population just barely squeaks above 500. But when Nicole was a kid, nearby Arlington, South Dakota, (population about 850) was home to a pottery studio called Arlington Pottery. Every summer, they chose one high school apprentice to help with shop duties, and more importantly, to learn the art form firsthand. Nicole bided her time until she was old enough to apply for the apprenticeship, but sadly, the shop closed before she made it to high school. Still, the dream of learning pottery didn\u2019t quit. And when she moved to Aberdeen to study music education at Northern, she kept it in her future plans. \u201cIt was still something I had in the back of my mind that I wanted to do, so I thought maybe if I teach during the school year, then I could still have time in the summer months to learn pottery or do art shows,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
When her sophomore year at NSU rolled around, Nicole decided if she didn\u2019t take a pottery class now, it might never happen. So she made the leap and signed up for a semester. Was finally getting to learn pottery worth the long wait? \u201cI absolutely fell in love with it,\u201d she says. \u201cI ended up taking four semesters of pottery and graduating with an art minor.\u201d She credits her professor at NSU, Mark Shekore, for furthering her love of the craft even more. \u201cI learned so much from him, and we have very similar styles. I think when you study under someone, you naturally pick up some of their isms too.\u201d She adds that Professor Shekore was influenced by one of her favorite potters of all time, the famous Simon Leach, and they both inspire the rustic, functional pieces she creates at the wheel today.<\/p>\n
After graduation, Nicole became busy with a full-time job and a family, which didn\u2019t leave a lot of time for crafting pottery. Later on, when she was ready to get back into the swing of making things, she found a kick wheel at a surplus auction in Aberdeen. Using a kick wheel, a potter literally propels a heavy stone or concrete base with their foot, spinning it manually while also using their hands to shape the clay. Nicole has since transitioned to an electric wheel but is glad to have first learned using a kick. She laughs, \u201cIf you can throw a pot while keeping your legs moving, using an electric wheel seems that much easier.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nicole didn\u2019t immediately start taking custom orders or attending art shows after she picked up pottery again, but instead took her time relearning the skill. Now, it\u2019s been about three years since she launched her part-time pottery business. She still works full time, as an academic advisor for online nursing students at Presentation College, and mostly sits down at her wheel in the evenings after her daughters, Jada (10) and Maci (4), are asleep for the night. \u201cMy daughters are a bit older now, and they love to throw pots with me and have some of their own pieces they\u2019ve made on the wheel too. I\u2019m excited to see where they go with it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
Everything Nicole makes is functional art. Mugs are her favorite. \u201cThere\u2019s something about drinking coffee out of a mug that someone hand-formed. You can see the fingerprints that go into it sometimes where the throwing lines are, and you know somebody specifically made that, instead of it being poured out of a mold,\u201d she says. Also growing in popularity is her clay jewelry, including earrings and bracelet pendants. \u201cEven though they\u2019re made out of clay, they\u2019re very, very light. It\u2019s fun to combine them with different colors and beads,\u201d she says. For her, it\u2019s important to make art that people can use as well as enjoy. When she and her husband Nick were first married, they lived in a 600-square-foot home, so everything in it, even the art, had to have some kind of functionality. She says, \u201cI think a lot of people can relate to that. They love art, but they don\u2019t have space for big sculptures or for big paintings on their walls. But they do have room for it on the coffee cup they take to work every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nicole creates custom orders for her clients as well as travels to a few art shows every year with her work. What do most people say when they see her at the pottery wheel? \u201c\u2018Can you teach me?\u2019 That\u2019s the number one comment I hear,\u201d she laughs. So maybe the dream of being a potter in rural South Dakota isn\u2019t so far-fetched, but she admits having an art career in a small town does pose its own challenges. It\u2019s not as easy to get your name out there, and often you have to drive long distances to meet customers or attend shows. On the other hand, she adds there is plenty of support here from artists who have made it work before, along with online pottery groups where members share their tricks and techniques. While learning from others, she has also become an artist to learn from, and proof that no matter where you live or how little time you have, you can craft your own creative life. \/\/<\/span>\u2014 Jenny Roth<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n To reach Nicole Volk, call 605-380-2116, email <\/b>nicole_volk@hotmail.com<\/b><\/span>, or visit <\/b>facebook.com\/nicolevolkpottery<\/b><\/span>.<\/b><\/p>\n