Have you ever heard of Bob Parrott, pottery expert? A lot of people haven't, but they would be surprised at his extraordinary talents. He also shares his talents with his wife, Anita Griffith. They both have an uncanny resemblance with other great artists, like famous potters in the Smithsonian museums.

But he was not always a great potter. He only discovered his artistic talent after years of doing other things, like managing a supermarket in New Hampshire. He decided to go back to school. He found out that there was a class at his college for pottery, so he decided to try it. He got a degree in Fine Arts. Then after that, he chose to do pottery for a living.

There are some things that you need to remember about pottery. If your planning to extrude clay, put a die at the end, depending on what size piece you are doing. But, if you're not, wedge the clay until it is "leather hard" and has a homogeneous consistency. If you're "throwing a pot" turn on the potter's wheel and add the clay. Bob Parrott throws pots on an electronic kick wheel, because he doesn't like the automatic ones, and he is used to a kick wheel .

Every year, Bob and his wife Anita go to New Mexico to teach and to learn pottery. Many of the Native Americans they visit there live in one room houses. Part of their home is used as a pottery studio. A native man, Joseph Serno, makes colossal pots and vases, and hand-paints them himself. But other natives make pots and cook them in an open fire. After the fire cools, they add horse manure to harden the clay. This results in some beautiful black bowls.

Anita Griffith also has her own style of pottery. Some of her pieces are fun (as opposed to functional). These pieces to the left are just a few inches high. She teaches locally about Native American pottery techniques.

Well, you can check out the Smithsonian website to find out more about Bob Parrott. He is a really great guy and he is a pottery expert.