Collingswood, New Jersey
Forty years of clay,
made to be used.
Made-by-hand pottery and ornaments — mugs that fit the morning, bowls that hold the family dinner, small joys cut from rolled clay. Every piece starts on a pottery wheel or is formed from a slab of clay, and ends up in someone's hands, every single day.
Shop available work Meet the artist
Salt cellar with its own little spoon
The artist
The pot isn't finished until someone uses it.
Donna in the studio, brush in hand.
I have been making pots for more than forty years and I am still not tired of the moment when a spinning lump of clay first rises under my hands.
I work from Collingswood, New Jersey, making functional pottery — mugs, bowls, planters, cream-and-sugar sets, salt cellars with their own little spoons — thrown on the wheel one at a time. Alongside the pots, I make ornaments and platters of various sizes from slabs of clay.
I'm not interested in pots that sit on a shelf being admired. I want my work in the dishwasher, on the breakfast table, holding the garlic. A handle should fit the hand that reaches for it. A bowl should feel right when it's full and when it's empty.
After four decades, the clay still surprises me. The kiln still has the last word. That's what keeps me coming back to the wheel — and what I hope you feel when one of these pieces becomes part of your everyday life.
— Donna Semola
The work
Pots for the life you actually live
Morning Keepers
Mugs glazed in shifting bands of sea green and speckled blue. Generous handles, balanced weight — made to be reached for first.
Table Anchors
Bowls that hold the lemons, the garlic, the family dinner — speckled stoneware dipped in glazes that meet like a horizon line.
Lidded & Kept
Salt cellars and keepers, each with a hand-built spoon tied on with leather so it never wanders off. The details are the point.
Pourers & Pairs
Cream-and-sugar sets in freckled white, with spouts that actually pour. Forty years of practice lives in that little lip.
Rooted Things
Footed planters for succulents and small green companions — raw clay rims, freckled glaze, little round feet to stand on.
Ornaments & Small Joys
Hand-cut, hand-glazed clay charms for the tree, the doorknob, the gift that needs one more thing. Hometown pride included.
Available now
From the latest firing
Every piece is one of a kind — when it's gone, it's gone. Checkout is handled securely by Square, which collects your shipping address and payment.
Teaching
Hands in the clay, side by side
Donna has spent years teaching pottery — guiding first-timers through the wobble of centering their first lump of clay, and helping seasoned students chase the forms in their heads.
Her classes are equal parts patience and mud. Students leave with clay under their fingernails, a piece they made themselves, and the itch to come back.
Interested in lessons or a workshop? Reach out on Facebook to ask about upcoming sessions.
"You can't rush clay. It teaches you to slow down, pay attention, and forgive your own hands. Then one day, a pot rises — and it's yours."
How ordering works
From her kiln to your kitchen
Pick your piece
Browse what's available from the latest firing. Each pot is photographed individually — what you see is the exact piece you'll receive.
Check out with Square
Payment and shipping address are collected through Square's secure checkout — the same system used at her in-person sales.
Packed by the potter
Donna wraps every order herself. Pieces ship within a few days, padded like the one-of-a-kind objects they are.