Chris Jackson sits behind her slowly spinning pottery wheel, her eyes fixed upon the formless lump of clay that gradually rises, expands and contracts in response to the deliberate and delicate pressure applied by her mud-covered hands. She is the picture of focus, seemingly oblivious to the sounds of Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline” emanating from the radio above her head and the bustling activity that surrounds her. All around Jackson, a half dozen other pottery students work on their individual projects while engaging in friendly conversations about upcoming vacations, the successes of their children or the fine meal they enjoyed the previous night at a local restaurant.

It is an immensely relaxed and comfortable atmosphere in spite of the varied tasks taking place. All in all, it’s typical of any other day at Good Earth Studio.

The private pottery school, located at 430 Hazelwood Avenue in Waynesville, has been in operation for nearly five years and is the creation of Bob Hammock, a former graphic artist who first became interested in pottery a quarter century ago.

“I took a class in a center similar to this in Atlanta 25 years ago. I was working a corporate job at the time, and took the class and enjoyed it so much I just continued to take the class for four years. Then I decided to set up my own studio and built a wheel, bought equipment and set up in my basement. I would make things and sell them at craft shows and things like that. I later discovered that I had an ability to teach other people how to do it and so I started teaching classes for the local parks and recreation department,” said Hammock.

Hammock moved to Haywood County 11 years ago. He wanted to continue teaching the art of pottery, but he couldn’t find a program that fit his vision of a continuing education course for amateur potters.

“I went several years without doing anything until I decided, if I want to do this, I’m going to have to do it myself. I had some money to invest, so I went and bought the equipment and set up my own place. We are basically a private pottery school now and our target population is the hobby potter rather than the professional potter. Haywood Community College has an excellent program for turning out professional potters. Our focus is really on people who just want to do it for fun,” said Hammock.

While the classes are geared toward amateur potters, Good Earth Studio offers instruction in a great variety of techniques, from the traditional and technically demanding wheel thrown pottery to hand building, a technique that requires one to hand shape slabs of clay and piece together individual slabs into a completed work. Hammock also teaches his students several firing techniques, including lower temperature oxidation firing and high temperature reduction firing. Good Earth is one of the few studios to offer instruction in Raku firing, which gives the pieces a subtle, metallic coloring.

The classes are offered in nine-week quarters that include six hours of instruction and studio time per week. While 54 hours of instruction may sound like a lot, the technically demanding art of pottery takes time to learn — particularly learning how to use the wheel — and most students wind up taking several sessions (Hammock has two students that have participated since he opened five years ago).

“Working on the wheel is kind of like learning how to play the guitar. It takes a lot of practice and a lot of instruction. I have a list of about 11 steps we teach on the wheel beginning with centering the clay and ending with making teapots. In nine weeks, most people get to number three. Realistically, it would take nine months to a year to get through the list,” said Hammock.

However, the steep learning curve and challenging nature of the art of pottery rarely diminishes the enthusiasm and passion Hammock’s students have for their chosen hobby.

“I must have clay for blood. I got in here and I just loved it. It is an absolute passion. It’s such a challenge. It’s like a 30-year project and you’re never done. But I enjoy the almost infinite variations of things you can make and the fact you can participate in making things that are beautiful,” said Marion Grace, a resident of Fort Meyers, Fla., who takes classes at Good Earth Studio while she and her husband spend their summers in Waynesville.

It is easy to see the motivation behind the hard work and long hours on the shelves that line the studio’s walls. Colorful and elegant goblets and vases share space with more whimsical creations such as a pair of wide-eyed pigs and numerous releifs of gnome-like faces. The quality of the pieces belies the amateur status of their creators and is a testament to Hammock’s (and his other instructor, Leroy Cagle’s) ability to teach.