Sandra Penny Pots

I create wheel-thrown stoneware pieces at my home in Albany, NY.  Most of my work is functional: mugs, bowls, plates, vases, flower pots, pitchers, and platters. I also make wheel-thrown and augmented items like nature-themed carvings, piggy banks, Jack-o-Lanterns, and Christmas trees.

I love that pottery is never boring, and it shows in my work! I am constantly experimenting with new techniques, my interests and focus are regularly evolving, I change around my color palette frequently, and I am always pushing my limits to improve. For these reasons, you never quite know what is going to come out of the studio!  

I take the quality of my finished product very seriously, and this attention to detail is difficult to capture in photos. All of my work reflects a high standard of build quality, I test every batch of my clay for vitrification (water absorption rate under 1%), I sand the bottoms of my pieces until they are perfectly smooth, and pottery with flaws in the make or glaze are never sold as first-quality pieces.

I attend about ten craft fairs a year throughout the Capital District, and you can also find some of my work for sale at the Albany Art Room. Hope to see you soon! 

Here's where you can find me in 2026:

• Shaker Heritage Society Fall Craft Fair - September 12/13

• Albany Art Room Fall Market - Saturday, 9/19, 12-4pm

• Shaker Heritage Socitey Holiday Market - October 13 to December 18, 2026. Tuesdays through Sundays from 10 am to 4 pm.

• SHOP @ Albany Art Room - Saturdays 11am-2pm, Sundays 10 am-2pm, Wednesdays 5-8 pm

• More to come!

A bit about me: I teach physics, environmental, and earth sciences at Russell Sage College and I parent a fourth and seventh grader. I have a Ph. D in atmospheric sciences, and I lived in seven different states across the United States before I moved to Albany in 2012. My pottery journey started with a wheel class at the Albany Art Room in 2019, and it became a passion during the pandemic. Some of my other passions include teaching, mycology, vegetable gardening, environmentalism, and road cycling.  I'm happy to have found a long-term home in the Capital Region of New York!