Passion in pottery

BELLA VISTA — When Philip Naeger, a Ste. Genevieve, Mo., native, sold his pottery for the first time at the Bella Vista Farmers Market, he found himself wondering what people would think and how they would perceive his art. By the end of the day, he had nearly no pottery left to sell.

Naegar, who now lives in Bella Vista, says he found a passion for pottery recently with help from a previous art teacher turned mentor. He calls his company the Philip Naeger Project.

Prior to the market opening on April 21, Naeger sold his pottery in Ste. Genevieve during the solar eclipse. He says pottery provides him with a form of meditation and therapy while creating products he’s proud of.

“As soon as I got my hands on pottery, it was like ‘this is sweet,’” Naeger said. “I’ve always been an artistic person but once I figured out pottery, and clay, and mud, I was like, ‘man, this is it.’ You get to let everything else go whenever you’re looking down at the wheel — it’s a meditation and therapeutic. I have hand issues and it really helps with my hand strength now.”

Naeger said he believes all pottery is unique, pointing to the fact that all artists go about making their products differently. He said the size and shape of an artist’s hands helps determine how the final product will come out.

Naeger said one aspect that makes his pottery unique is he makes his own glazes at home.

“I don’t buy any of the commercial glazes,” he said. “I’ve made them all from measuring the hundreds of grams of chemicals to adding my coloring agents and tweaking them with other colors. So, I think the most unique part about my stuff would have to be my glaze.”

Naeger said pottery never gets old, something that motivates him to continue honing his craft. He noted that before he got started at the first Bella Vista Farmers Market, he didn’t know how people would respond to the pieces he was selling.

“It was a good step for me to try to put myself in that vulnerable position and be humble, to be a human. But I was blown away for the first time with me being afraid of what people would think,” Naeger said. “People didn’t want to put my stuff down. That was the coolest thing. As far as what I made, people did not want to put it down — so they bought it.”

He added, “My leg in the door for the farmers market is very little at this point, but I plan on spending a lot of time with them throughout this summer … I almost sold out. And that is mind blowing.”

Naeger said after May 12 he hopes to be at the local farmers market on a consistent basis. For now he’s taking time to build his inventory and preparing to bring more products to sell.

“Now is the time to pursue this,” he said. “I’m ready to take it through that journey.”

Naeger said he’s just starting out and appreciates support from the community. He’s looking forward to further interacting with customers in Bella Vista.

“I’m a starting artist — not starving,” Naeger said, laughing. “But a starting artist.”

More information about the Philip Naeger Project can be found on social media.

Featuring over 60 vendors, the Bella Vista Farmers and Makers Market continues each Sunday through Oct. 29 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the parking lot of Mercy Bella Vista, 1 Mercy Way.

(Submitted Photo) Philip Naeger (left) and his father Randy Naeger in front of the Ste. Genevieve, Mo., Catholic Church, which was built in 1876. He visited his hometown during the eclipse and got a feel for selling his pottery prior to the opening of the Bella Vista Farmers Market April 21.

(Submitted Photo) Naeger creates his own glazes, setting his pottery apart from others. He plans to return to the Bella Vista Farmers Market after May 12.