Potted by Jess Merges Fun and Function

After enduring traumatic experiences during her teenage years, Jessica Guerrero began crafting ceramics to process the past by creating art that allowed her to focus on the promise of the future. Guerrero, who is based in Columbus, has sold her work under the name Jessica Marie Ceramics and now Potted by Jess. The artist says her creative path was encouraged by her mentors in high school and college. 

“I go out to the studio, and there’s just something so calming about throwing on the wheel,” Guerrero says. “It’s almost become second nature to me, where you just know a shape you make a shape, [and] you don’t have to think about it.” 

Guerrero has been making pottery since 2013 and moved from California to Columbus with her husband, daughter and three dogs in 2019. Her current line of whimsical charms, mugs, spoon rests and sponge holders are dotted with everything from bagels to cacti to cherry tomatoes. She finds comfort in keeping the forms of her products roughly the same, while using patterning to create seasonal variety. 

Her online shop carries punchy pasta, matcha and berry bowls, as well as deviations from ceramics like notepads and waffle-knit towels. When designing a new product, Guerrero focuses on what her creations will ultimately feel like in someone else’s hands.

“How does this function in your life? How does it improve your life? How will you interact with it in your life?” Guerrero asks. “Because pottery, more so than anything else in the art world, is very interactive. I don’t know a lot of paintings that you put up to your mouth like you would a mug.”

The artist’s many ghost-themed pieces exist solely for the fun of it. Guerrero’s playful phantom universe is ever-expanding, with this year’s lineup inspired by the nostalgia of trick-or-treating, visiting haunted houses and dressing up in your favorite classic costume.

“How fun was it when you were a kid and you came home from Halloween, and you dumped out all your candy on the floor and you sorted through it?” Guerrero says. “[It’s] just those moments that I’m hoping I’m able to capture and translate into a piece.”

For more information, visit pottedbyjess.com.

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