“Clay is unpredictable and learning its endless possibilities has completely captured my imagination - one lifetime wouldn’t be enough to explore its depths.”
Our Story
EARTHENjoy started in December of 2013 inside the home of clay artist Joy O'Conner. She dabbled with different types of clay - from modeling to natural earthenware in her Grandpa's creek - since she was a little girl. Joy learned the art of clay from her mother-in-law Jane Farley a potter of 40 years, who gave her her first (tiny) kiln. Because of the scale of that first kiln Joy began making things most clay artists overlooked: jewelry, trinkets, ornaments and smaller hanging planters for air plants. The popularity of these items grew quickly and EARTHENjoy was picked up by six storefronts in the Omaha and Lincoln area within the first year of reconnecting with her love of the art form.
Today, to make room for creating larger and more detailed artistic pieces, we are scaling back our presence to limited batches at just a few shops. We will continue to provide some of our collection on this website when possible, and of course continue to check in at Joy's personal favorite - local artisan markets. This allows her to interact more directly with the people interested in her work and keep tabs on what might further pique their interest.
In 2016 Joy opened a studio inside Bench in downtown Omaha, acquired a much larger kiln so she could branch out into larger scale work, as well as a potters wheel (i.e. personal therapist)- which provides endless hours of hypnotic, muddy, therapeutic art-making. Joy has taught classes from preschoolers up to adults, made commissions for local businesses, created treasured heirlooms for the wonderful supporters of handmade in this community, and connected with people on levels that would have never been possible without entering this medium. Joy also loves adventuring with her wonderfully supportive husband Patrick, and their sweet kiddos Delaney and Paxton.
