Hundreds of ceramic connoisseurs and pottery partisans walked the halls of the Medford Armory Saturday morning for the 48th annual Clayfolk Pottery Show and Sale, seeking new treasures and functional finds from some of the top artisans in Southern Oregon and beyond.

Juxtaposed to the foggy, dreary weather outside, visitors were treated to the sights of 70-plus energetic creators, cheerful patrons and a wide range of pottery products from coffee mugs to ornate artworks worthy of becoming foyer centerpieces in patrons’ homes.

“It’s a good mix of people from around the state and people from Southern California and a few from southern Washington, but there’s also the core of the Medford potters here, too,” said Raku potter Peter Alsen, visiting from Roseburg. “It’s really the best of both worlds, I think.”

Beyond the pottery to peruse, Clayfolk contained demonstrations from local artisans, children’s clay activities and more to absorb.

The show continued Sunday.

Arriving from the Applegate Valley and set up in her booth full of animal- and nature-themed ceramics, artisan Nancy Yturriaga Adams was excited Saturday to showcase her intricate and multi-colored artworks.

“I’ve done (Clayfolk) ever since I moved here, so it’s probably at least 10 or 20 years,” Yturriaga Adams said.

Originally hailing from San Francisco, the pottery maker’s art is greatly influenced by her love for nature, the captivating pottery within the Golden Gate City’s Chinatown district and one of her favorite painters, Georgia O’Keeffe.

“As a little girl growing up in San Francisco, I spent a lot of time in Chinatown and at the Brundage Collection looking at the antiquities, the jades, the bronzes, the beautiful porcelains,” Yturriaga Adams said. “I’m just very interested in all kinds of art and architecture.”

Many of the Applegate Valley artisan’s pieces interweave her love for nature and animals, with the potter utilizing “color, fantasy, magic, animals as totems” and other elements into her work.

“I’m a conservationist at heart, so I really believe in conserving the land,” Yturriaga Adams added.

A few booths over, Alsen was proudly displaying his pieces, chatting with peers and patrons.

“I enjoy talking to all the people, and people are always happy when they’re talking to you, which is really my goal, to try and get people to smile,” Alsen said.

The Roseburg-based artisan began his pottery journey in high school but left the pottery passion to become an engineer, eventually returning to the craft later in life.

“I came from an engineering background, so you’ve got to have your quality control, and you’ve got to have your continuous improvement,” he said of his art. “I’m still learning, and I like that aspect of it.”

The Raku potter’s major muse has been animal ceramics, with Alsen fashioning small- and large-scale pieces of armadillos, bears, octopi and even blobfish.

“I stated doing animals a long time ago with elephants, and it just developed from there,” he said.

The Clayfolk Pottery Show is one of Alsen’s favorite events to be a part of.

“I’ve been going to Clayfolk for seven or eight years,” Alsen said. “I won’t miss it. I’d have to have broken arm or something, because it’s such a good show.”

Perusing Alsen’s pottery pieces with a friend, Michelle LaFave has been visiting Clayfolk for around eight years.

“My folks love all the pottery works, and I do as well, so we come every year,” the Applegate Valley resident said. “We love to come out and find the unique pieces.”

“We are looking for little containers for succulents, so little pots and planters and anything unique,” LaFave added, scoping out the wares.

Bob Johnson, a Roseburg potter and committee chair for Clayfolk, was happy to see the turnout for the show so far.

“We have a huge crowd all crammed in,” Johnson said.

Displaying a collection of his pottery fashioned throughout 2023, Johnson was happy to showcase his mix of mugs and other kitchenware with his signature drip glaze style

“I like the drip glazes. They’re called ash glazes, and they’re made out of wood ash,” he said.

Eugene-based ceramic artist Allan Kluber returned to the world of ceramics after a 30-year hiatus.

“I did ceramics professionally for 20 years, and then I quit for 30 years, and then seven years ago I was driving through southern Utah and looked at the rocks, and they looked like ceramic processes to me. So I came home, bought a bag of clay and started making rocks,” Kluber said. “I made a cup, and here we are today, seven years later.”

The maker incorporates colored clay to fashion many-hued ceramics and jewelry pieces, with many available for purchase at the show.

For more information on the Clayfolk Pottery Show and Sale, visit www.clayfolk.org.