Apprentices & Stamps

Mark typically has two apprentices working with him at a given time, each of whom usually works at the pottery for two to four years. They come from a variety of backgrounds, some straight from high school, some from prestigious art schools. Some have lots of prior experience making pots, some almost none. The pottery is in part production unit, part teaching establishment, with apprentices learning by doing. The group ensemble provides a stimulating atmosphere for the exchange of technique, ideas, and humor, against the backdrop of ongoing hard work. After an apprentice leaves Pittsboro they may spend a few more years working or traveling before setting up their own potteries. Mark is proud of all his former apprentices wherever they are and whatever they are doing, and Web site links and/or email addresses of each former and current apprentice are also listed in the table below about stamps if you would like to follow their progress.

Stamps

Potters stamp pots to acknowledge a sense of completion, to identify ourselves as makers, to recognize our excellence, to mark time, and to help create value. But they are a meagre summary of our individual truths.

All pots from the W.M. Hewitt Pottery are stamped on the bottom with various letters, numbers, monograms, and insignias designating when a pot was made and by whom. Each potter has a unique backstamp that designates that they made and decorated a particular piece. Apprentice pots are additionally stamped with the generic WMH stamp of the pottery. All pots are additionally marked to record the firing number and kiln in which it was fired.

It has come to our attention that on the secondary market, particularly on eBay, pots made the W. M. Hewitt pottery are sometimes incorrectly identified. So, please always remember the Latin phrase, “caveat emptor” or, “buyer beware.” We hope this list will be of interest to customers and collectors alike to guide you in interpreting these markings. If you have questions about individual stamps or firing dates place get in touch.

Mark Hewitt’s Stamps

DATE STAMP
1984 – 1995 WMH
1995 – current stamp-small
Willie Mark” – Hewitt’s “nom-de-terre,”
scratched on occasional pots that accidentally escape stamping


Additional number on pots

25 25th firing, December 1991
10 10th year anniversary firing, April 1994
xxxx Mark’s 40th birthday firing, November
1995
1999 All pots made during 1999
50 50th firing, November 1999
00 All pots made in 2000
60 60th firing, April 2003
66 66th firing, April 2005
69 69th firing, April 2006
71 71st firing, August 2006
72 72nd firing, December 2006
The numbering pattern continues with the number on the pot reflecting the number of the firing.
Occasional glaze experiment abbreviations/indicators
are incised on the bottom of pots too.


Letters identifying pots from the new kiln

DATE STAMP
February 2007 (Test Firing) A stampa-sm
May 2007 B stampb-sm
The lettering pattern continues….


Apprentice stamps

NAME & link to current web site or email DATES STAMP
Martin Simpson Mark’s English friend and traveling potter who has worked at the pottery for a few months most years since 1990 WMH
M
Charley Pritchard

1994 – 1996 WMH
P
Joe Christensen 1996 – 1997 WMH
O
“O” for Joe
Daniel Johnston

1997 – 2001 WMH
D
Nate Evans 1997 – 1999 WMH
E(1999 changed to NE )
Hallie Hite

1998 – 1999 WMH
HH
Matt Jones

Fall 1999 WMH
MJ
Eric Smith

2000 – 2002 WMH
ES
Joe Cole 2001 – 2003 WMH
J
Chris Early 2002 – 2004 WMH
ce
James Olney 2002 – 2004 WMH
jto
Zac Spates 2003 – 2006 WMH
Z
Lara O’Keefe Fall 2005 WMH
OK
Aaron Weaver 2005 – 2008 WMH
aW
Noah Riedel 2006 – 2008 WMH
No
Joseph Sand 2006 – 2009 WMH
JSS
Eryn Prospero Summer-Fall 2008 WMH
Ep
Alex Matisse 2008 – 2009 alexstamp
Julie Jones 2009 WMH
JJ
Brad Lail 2010-2011 bradstamp
Seth Guzovsky 2010-2012 sethstamp
Mark Kozma 2012-2014 WMH
K
Adrian King 2013-2016 WMH
AK, then later
Hamish Jackson 2015-2019 WMH
hj
Stillman Browning-Howe 2016-current WMH
Will Baskin
2019-2020
WMH
wb