But, he adds, education�both for the potter and consumer�often plays a key role in achieving success. �My advice to anyone else in this business is that they need all the training they can possibly get�a BFA, an MFA, and if they can get some business classes that would also help,� he says.

�They should also talk to as many people as possible who are in the business,� Russell adds.

Both Turner and Russell began their careers with an extensive education. Turner received his undergraduate degree in art from Illinois State University in 1968, and earned his master of fine arts degree from Clemson University in 1973. Russell earned her bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Evansville in 1976, and her master of fine arts degree from the University of Illinois in 1981.

But their education wasn�t limited to their classrooms�both Turner and Russell independently studied other pottery that they admired. Russell spent a year traveling throughout Western Europe and studying British potters, and also spent some time working in Mayan Indian villages in Mexico, near the pottery center of Ticul, while Turner studied and collected 19th century pots and spent time with a number of southeastern folk potters. Many of these influences can be seen in their pottery.

Turner and Russell have also spent a great deal of time sharing their knowledge and experience with students and other potters. Turner established a ceramic art program for the College of Architecture at Clemson University in 1971, and since then has taught at leading craft schools throughout the U.S., including Penland, Arrowmont and The Archie Bray Foundation. He has also taught over 125 workshops. Russell taught ceramics at the University of Illinois as a graduate student, and also taught at the University of Evansville and the Delaware County Cultural Arts Center. According to Turner, the couple is frequently asked by local colleges and artists to teach classes, but they don�t have the space. They do, however, often host tours of their studio, with in-depth explanations of their processes, as well as demonstrations.

But it isn�t just the potter or would-be potter who needs to be educated�it�s also the consumer. And according to Turner, today�s universities aren�t doing an adequate job of making people appreciate handmade pottery. �Universities pretty much quit teaching the art of the potter a number of years ago. As a result, they also quit educating buyers. Many of our buyers have tried to make pottery, so they appreciate the feet and form, and the lips and glazes, but we�re seeing less of that because many of the universities have switched to sculpture instead.

�The best pots that I can make, I want them to stand the test of time. I don�t want them to be valuable just in 2002� I want them to be good in 100 years. And I want the people who buy my pots to appreciate that level of quality,� he says.

Although both Turner and Russell would like to see universities integrate more pottery into their programs, they have noticed that in many cases, local art centers are stepping in to fill the void. �We�ve been seeing a lot more art centers cropping up, and in every art center that we know about, the clay classes pretty much keep them in business. They�re all very full, and that�s great news,� Russell says.

In many cases, Turner says, where you live determines what types of products you�ll be able to sell. �We sell coffee mugs all the way up to large pieces, ranging from $10 to $600 each. And I think that�s relative to this market. We chose to live here, and these are the types of pieces that the local people are looking for. If I just wanted to make all $600 pieces, I wouldn�t sell enough.

�Our products might sell better in Los Angeles, New York or Chicago, but we don�t want to live there. So we have to deal with that,� Turner adds.

Potters who want exposure to markets in other cities can develop relationships with galleries and attend art shows, and both Turner and Russell have had a great deal of experience with those venues. But difficulties with these arrangements include packaging and shipping the products and having to split the profits with the gallery or show host.

For that reason, the couple decided to begin retailing all of their products from their own shop when they moved to Lewis Center in 1986. According to Turner, the shop is open just about every day of the week, whenever one of them is home. �It�s evolved to where we�re now selling the majority of our pots here, and we want more of that,� Turner says. �If we can sell all the pots we can make here, then there�s no reason to go to the shows or ship to the galleries. It�s really more enjoyable to sell out of our own gallery.�

�Generally, there are also more pieces to choose from,� Russell adds. �And most people like to come and see how and where the pieces are made.�

�People want to see what we�re all about,� Turner says. �They see our home, they see the studio and our gardens. Gail keeps bees and I�ve got a little wine vineyard. They buy a total package. We sometimes say that they buy a piece of us when they buy one of our pots, and seeing where we live adds to that,� Turner says.

But with the added convenience and pleasure of selling from their studio has come a greater need for the couple to market themselves.

�We don�t get a lot of walk-in traffic, so we have to encourage people to come here,� Turner says. �We have open houses twice a year where we send out a direct mail invitation to around 1800 people on a mailing list that we�ve compiled over the last 15 years during other open houses. Additionally, Gail has continued doing local shows, which also brings more people to our studio. We are also investigating a little bit more advertising to get more people coming here.�

Their marketing efforts have been successful�the couple sells almost every piece they make, averaging around 1000 to 1200 pieces per year each, and most of the pieces are purchased from their own gallery. But like everything else, marketing remains a constant challenge.

�It�s hard to find time to get concentrated work done, even though we�re here seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Having to wear all those different hats makes things difficult,� Turner says.

�People think we just sit at the wheel, but we probably don�t work at the wheel 10% of the time. There are business issues, and then in the process itself there are so many steps�it�s not just being at the wheel. There�s the office side of it�letters, slides, phone calls, e-mails, packing and shipping. And then there�s the marketing aspect. We�d like to start tapping into the Internet to sell some of our pots, for instance, but that�s just another job to add to the limited time we have available.

�Additionally, the pots control you,� Turner adds. �If you have pots to trim, you have to be there to trim them. You might work Saturday and Sunday and then take Monday off to run errands. There�s a tremendous freedom and flexibility, but you�re also chained at times. There are a lot of dichotomies here, yin and yang.�

Given all of the challenges, it�s easy to see why pottery is becoming somewhat of a lost art. Making a living as an artist is almost an oxymoron. How can you fulfill your own creative passions while trying to sell to customers who may not appreciate your art? How do you find time to improve your artistic abilities while earning enough money to pay the bills? And why would anyone want to put themselves through the day-to-day struggles of the pottery business when they could just as easily find another career?

Perhaps it is because the benefits far outweigh the difficulties. There are the joys of being your own boss and setting your own schedule, and the pleasures of creating art and influencing future generations. And there is the satisfaction of knowing that you are living your dream.

"We are driven to be potters�we love the process and it�s truly a labor of love," says Turner.