A love story in clay: Bill and Jayne Harris


Bill and Jayne Harris are high-school sweethearts who have carved their life’s work together, first in wood and now in clay. Bill, who is also the elected chief of the Catawba Indian nation, creates traditional Catawba pottery, carrying on the family legacy of his grandmother, Georgia Harris. Jayne sculpts clay, making beautifully expressive female characters that represent, as she says, “the strength of the world.”

The Harris’ were first accepted into Piedmont Craftsmen Inc. for their wood carving and are now exhibiting members in clay. They live in Fort Mill, S.C. Christine and I met them one sweet early summer afternoon last year, and their story has stayed with me. I think it always will.