Terra Noir
Portland Oregon
“The experience of listening to what the clay wants to do is an exchange, much like a dance. It’s my partner, and I’m trying to figure out how to lead. It’s always a question; it’s never a demand.”
Wil Labelle of Terra Noir in Portland, Oregon, carries the lineage of classical potters focused on functional craft. His years of study and hard work under production potters helped him master the ability to make products repeatedly to spec, quickly and efficiently. His handcrafted domestic objects are meant to be handled, used and enjoyed for decades. Enduringly beautiful, filled with purpose, influenced by the design of Japanese and Eastern pottery, and working in the vein of the English style of pottery, Wil’s work pares down process and design to the essentials, producing forms of superior function and lasting quality.
