☽ Our Story ☾
Two Weirdos,
One Kiln
We're a ceramics duo from Manhattan, Kansas — one half witch, one half geek — making hand-thrown pottery where the mystical meets the nerdy. Every piece is a little bit spell, a little bit comic boy guy.
✦ Manhattan, KS — where the work begins
How It Started
Born from a Shared Studio and a Lot of Opinions
The Witch & The Geek started the way most good things do — with too much clay, not enough shelf space, and a running argument about whether moon phases affect glaze outcomes. (The jury is still out.)
We met in the military during a tour abroad, bonded over a shared obsession with craft, and eventually decided that our skills were better suited joined under one umbrella. The name came naturally — one of us leans into the mystical, the other into the geek. Together, we make something neither of us would make alone.
Every piece we sell is hand-thrown on a wheel, trimmed by hand, glazed in our studio, and fired in our kiln. No molds. No shortcuts. Just clay, fire, and whatever energy we brought to the wheel that day.
☽ The Duo ☾
Meet the Makers
The Witch
Intuition & Intention
The mystical half of the operation. Drawn to moon phases, botanical motifs, and the idea that the energy you bring to the wheel ends up in the clay. Specializes in organic forms, carved surface detail, and glazes that look like they were mixed under a full moon.
Also responsible for naming every piece something slightly ominous and making sure the studio always smells like cedar.
The Geek
Lore Master & Dice Goblin
The pop culture half. Could win a trivia night on DC lore, has strong opinions about which TTRPG system is objectively superior, and owns more comic long boxes than is probably reasonable. The kind of person who names their mugs after D&D spells and considers it a personality trait.
Responsible for the obscure D&D and superhero references only the right person will catch.
The Studio
Where the Work Gets Made
Our studio is in Manhattan, KS — a small city with a surprisingly robust maker community. We share space, tools, and the occasional heated debate about whether a piece is "done" or just "done enough."
Wedge & Center
Every piece starts with wedging the clay to remove air pockets, then centering it on the wheel. This part looks easy. It is not easy.
Throw & Trim
We pull the walls up by hand, shape the form, and let it dry to leather-hard before trimming the foot ring and any surface details.
Bisque Fire
The piece goes into the kiln for a first firing at around 1800°F — burning off organic material and hardening the clay into bisqueware.
Glaze & Final Fire
We mix and apply our own glazes, then fire to cone 6 (~2232°F). The kiln does the rest. We just hold our breath and wait.
✦ Cone 6 oxidation — ~2232°F
What We Believe
The Way We Work
No Two Alike
Variation isn't a flaw — it's the point. Every piece is unique because every hand, every day, every firing is different.
Made to Use
We make functional ware. Mugs are for drinking, bowls are for eating. Beautiful things should be used, not just displayed.
Local First
We source clay locally when possible, sell at local markets, and teach in our community. Manhattan, KS is home and we act like it.
Art for Everyone
Through our non-profit The Makers Guild Inc., we plan to build an artist commune where makers and creators in our community have their own dedicated space to come and excel in what they love.
☽ Come Find Us ☾
Want to See the Work in Person?
We vend at local markets and events around Manhattan, KS, and our work is available at a few local shops. Come say hi — we're the ones covered in clay.