Ray Pottery was founded in 2002, but the seeds that grew into this labor of love were sown many years ago. Paul Ray and Shiela Allred Ray both grew up in the pottery rich area of Seagrove, NC.
Paul took up pottery as a hobby for five years starting in 1992. However in 1997 he quit his job of 9 years, enrolled in pottery classes and went to work full time for Cagle Rd Pottery.
Shiela’s first experience on the potter’s wheel came in 2000 after meeting Paul. Shiela was a natural on the wheel. This wasn’t surprising since she had always been very artistic and creative. Shiela was bitten by the pottery bug; she quit her supervisors’ job, enrolled in pottery class, and started her journey in clay.
In 2005, Shiela wanted to introduce red into the Ray Pottery glaze palette. High temperature reds were developed by the Chinese during the Ming dynasty, which they called “Oxblood”. They are notoriously difficult to work with and will range in color from pink to purple. After many months of testing they were finally able to perfect the firing schedule that now produces their magnificent red.