"Oyster Bowl" - Bridgman Pottery

Melissa Bridgman, a full-time potter, finds inspiration in vintage treasures and the natural world surrounding her. The influence of tumbled ocean rocks, cloud patterns in the blue sky, birds' eggs in springtime, and the rolling green of Overton Park in Memphis make their way into her sketchbook and onto her pottery. Proclaiming herself an avowed imperfectionist, she values slightly out of round shapes, modest variations in glaze thickness, and the occasional smudge or fingerprint. She feels these tiny blemishes tell a story of a full life—lived imperfectly and with grace. Her work has been featured in Garden and Gun, Southern Living, and Okra magazines.