Artist Profile: Greg Schulz

Pottery With Personality

By Tina Morris

A native of central Florida, Greg Schulz grew up surrounded by orange groves and phosphate mines, spending time playing in the clay. Today he lives in the woods on the Etowah River, where he allows nature to inspire many of his creations. After retiring from his advertising career in 2015, Schulz has risen quickly in the pottery scene. He began working with clay by watching videos online and learning as he went. It wasnt easy in the beginning; one false move can cause the clay to flop off the wheel.

The creation of each piece is time consuming. For the sgraffito, when the clay is leather hard, he dips it in a black glaze before carving through it. Each mug takes up to three hours to create. It takes Schulz between three and four weeks to complete a whole kiln load.
Working with clay takes muscle memory, hand-eye coordination, and focused concentration. Schulzs perseverance and practice have paid off, and his creations speak for themselves.

To stumble upon a piece of Schulz pottery is to find something special. He has a passion for creating unique pieces that speak to the individuals they are meant for a sort of metaphysical connection between creator, creation, and intended owner.
Schulzs work is hard to describe in the best way possible. It is a bit like wandering around in an old-world Irish fairy tale. Sometimes you will meet a creepy-cute clown, sometimes you will find a birdhouse boy, and sometimes you will find a coffee mug with a realistic leaf outline. The point is, theres something for everyone, and thats just the way Schulz wants it. He creates what comes to mind, and though even he doesnt love every piece, he knows that someone will.

Though he is still fairly new to the world of pottery, Schulz has always been around art. His mother is an artist, and she brought him around artist booths when he was a child. He attended the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale for advertising design, where he later taught classes. His wife, Susan, is a writer, and his children are also involved in various artistic pursuits.

Over the past four years, Schulzs pottery has developed a growing number of followers who have begun collecting his pieces. He was also commissioned to create a trio of beautiful sgraffito bird platters to bring joy to the walls of Northside Hospital. Schulz Pottery can be found on Instagram @schulzpottery. While pieces can be viewed and purchased via the internet, Schulz prefers to watch people find the piece they connect with in person. He is also passionate about supporting local artists, farmers, and other local businesspeople.

Having been surrounded by art his whole life, Schulz has gained a bit of wisdom when it comes to creation. His first bit of advice practice, practice, practice. Artists often give up too soon and miss out on success. His second piece of advice only listen to critiques from other professionals in your field. He states, People often feel like they can criticize artists freely, even if they dont have knowledge or experience.