A local couple wants to share their love of art of with you. Willem Gibben and Hjordis Olson work together to fill their shop with pottery and paintings, all crafted right at their home outside of Colfax.

In today's Wandering Wisconsin segment, we're off to Dunn County to check out Hillcrest Pottery.

Hjordis Olson says, "I make function pots, ones people can use.... cups, bowls, teapots, things for your daily routines.

The start is I make my own clay, then I get it ready for the wheel.

This is a cup this is a process called throwing off the hump.... this is an oriental technique rather than making little individual balls for every pot you just throw them in succession like this.

And then for teapots you throw the body of the pot and then the lid and spout and then join them all together. Once they stiffen a little more, I glaze them. I make my own glaze as well. And then I set them aside and then when they're dry, I'll load the kiln.

The kiln holds about 700 pots. It takes about 8 weeks to fill it. And then i'll load and fire it and start the whole process over again.

I do paintings of mostly people and animals. They're more symbolic then super realistic. I'm doing this chicken and want it to have power.

By the time I'm finished, this may be completely different because as I work I sort of react to what i'm doing. It's not real planned.

I've been able to continue the discipline of working. It gives me a lot back so I do want to sell it, but if I don't i'm not crushed. It's about getting better.

They can buy it from me directly. Stop by, I've got tons of work.

My favorite thing to do is to draw or paint. It relaxes my mind and yet it's releasing ideas. It's very satisfying.

I like the variety of the work. I like doing it the old way without electricity cuz that's the way all pots were fired.

It's important that they look good, but i think through using pots is where you get the benefit of handmade things. Its kinda nice to use them.

Hillcrest Pottery is open seven days a week during daylight hours. It's located on county Road A about four miles east of Colfax.