About Us

Founders

After all these years, making pottery is still a passion. To see other people appreciate and use our pottery is a true joy.

In her senior year at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa (1972), Judy decided to try something different-a beginning pottery class. Thor was well beyond beginning pottery and into independent studies in clay. They met in the art building and we’ll leave the rest to your imagination!! After graduation, they married and moved to Crystal Lake, Illinois. Judy started teaching 8th grade language arts and Thor started his first pottery business, Ridgefield Stoneware Pottery in Ridgefield, Illinois.

An opportunity to sell pots in a Door County, Wisconsin gallery introduced Judy and Thor to their future home on this northern peninsula bordering Lake Michigan. Gills Rock Stoneware (GRS) began in the loft of a commercial fishing shed in the village of Gills Rock, WI. After years of commuting back and forth from Illinois, Judy quit teaching and joined Thor in the business of making and selling pottery. In 1989, the couple bought a historic building in Ellison Bay, WI, which is the current home, studio, and gallery of Gills Rock Stoneware.

Today, GRS has grown to include a staff of 8 to 10 talented artisans who assist Judy and Thor in the production of a unique line of handmade pottery characterized by its strong shapes and bold colors. The work is both modern and classic, honoring the tradition of Thor’s teacher and mentor, Bauhaus trained potter Marguerite Wildenhain.