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 several craft fairs a year throughout the Capital District, and you can also find my work at these locations that keep regular business hours:

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

• Schnectady Trading Company - Open every day but Monday. Hours vary by day.

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

Find me WITH my work at these locations in 2026:

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

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

• Holiday 2026 Makers Market at Arlene's in Albany - Saturday 11/28

• Albany Art Room Winter Market - Sunday 12/5

• Maybe one 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!