Adriana Valenzuela is a jack-of-all-trades in our pottery studio! For the past four years, she has worked with Lois Barker on producing everything from mugs to large bowls.Adriana was born in Mexico City and moved to America 12 years ago with her husband and son. Her mother, brother, and sister continue to live in Mexico and she visits them every chance she gets.Two years after moving to Connecticut, she met Lois at a nail salon. Their friendship bloomed through the years. Says Adriana, "She saw me when I was invisible... Now she's my boss, my friend, my mentor, my teacher, and I'm so glad I met her, she's like my angel."When asked what is her favorite part of working in the pottery studio, she can't decide! She loves everything, she says, especially being able to work with a close friend. And of course, she is a big fan of her Jean Elton dinnerware and uses them often, especially when she has company.Today, she is helping in the glazing process, helping to clean the glaze from the bottom of bowls, as you can see in the picture below. It is an important job, because if the glaze is not removed from the base, it will melt in the firing and the bowl will stick to the shelf and will be unusable.
You can see more of Adriana in this video, where she is expertly trimming and cleaning up plates before a firing. Look for more of her in videos to come!