KICKING BIRD POTTERY (Cherokee) 

        Greg Kicking Bird lives in Tennessee with his family. They have seven dogs; raise llamas and horses. He is a member of the Cherokee Tribe of Alabama. The family is active in the support of his pottery work, Tribal functions and community. He designs the pottery molds, mixes the clay to achieve the different patterns and dips the pieces in a glaze all done on his farm in his potters shed. All the pottery is made in Tennessee from natural Chulengo clay from Blue Rapids, Kansas. The clay is blended with colored ground stone using a process which renders each piece unique. The result is a product through which colors swirl and sweep in a manner which is never repeated, and in which the colors never fade nor wash away. The clay is liquefied then placed in molds until it sets. The pottery piece is then removed from the mold, trimmed and dried for two days in a heated drying room, glazed and air dried. The pottery molds have been made in house for over 30 years. Although very durable, the pottery should be protected from extremes in weather. If using the pieces in a garden, spray with polyurethane or lacquer to protect from winter freeze. The pottery is not used for cooking or serving food; can be hand washed. With the unusual variations of the clay each piece is unique, all natural, and American made, "one of a kind". Kicking Bird Pottery is solid, the marble effect running through the entire piece. It is sturdy, and strikingly unusual.