BILL
CLAY FORMING: HAND BUILDER
"I try not to pick favorites," says Bill, "This way I don't get bored with a certain pattern." Not only has he not grown tired of his work at MacKenzie-Childs after eighteen years, but despite the fact that he came to Aurora with little art background, he now has a pottery studio at home in which, he says, "I've taught myself better skills to bring to the workplace." Bill, who grew up nearby, now works as a hand builder of our beautiful majolica terracotta silhouettes, but his career has seen him contributing to a range of departments including woodshop, furniture finishing, slipcast, wax and glaze, and kiln operation. When reflecting on the most rewarding aspect of working at MacKenzie-Childs, Bill mentions the camaraderie of his co-workers in crafting these unique pieces, saying "Like [in] a team, I feel I have a part. With all my teammates working together, we function well." Bill also enjoys writing poetry and finds a great deal of inspiration in nature, remarking, "I love the outdoors, which I try to reflect in my own pottery and poetry. Bill's Stamp: WR "
PAUL
CLAY FORMING: RAM PRESS OPERATOR
"My favorite thing about working here," says Paul, "is that there's always something to do." In Paul's fifteen year career as a Ram Press Operator, he has helped craft some of our most beloved pieces, as it is the responsibility of Paul and his department to begin the transformation of raw slabs of earthen majolica terracotta into MacKenzie-Childs silhouettes which will then be finished, fired, and decorated. Paul, who was brought up on a farm in the Finger Lakes region, had a friend working with us in Aurora who encouraged him to begin a career as a MacKenzie-Childs artisan. He describes spending his days creating with his hands as "great!" Outside of work, Paul is active in his church and enjoys writing poetry. Paul's Stamp: PR
CALLIE
DECAL/TRANSFER
As the lead of our Decal and Lustre department, Callie oversees the team that skillfully adds some of the final touches of opulence and elegance to our MacKenzie-Childs pieces. Working with silhouettes that have been molded, fired, painted, and fired again, Callie carefully transfers charming decals of birds, bouquets, and bees, and embellishes with sweeping brushstrokes of gold, platinum, and copper lustres. Having grown up in the Finger Lakes region, Callie heard about MacKenzie-Childs through friends and began her career as an artisan here four years ago. In addition to her work in decals and lustre, Callie now devotes much of her time to painting our Courtly Check pattern, and she calls the table pieces from this iconic line her favorites to work on. Outside of MacKenzie-Childs, Callie enjoys photography, dancing, swimming, riding ATVs, and is an avid sports fan. Callie's Stamp: CS
SANDY
FURNITURE DECORATION
While Sandy currently works in furniture decoration, in her fifteen year career as a MacKenzie-Childs artisan, she has worked in nearly every capacity on our Aurora estate - from quality control, decal and lustre, kiln operations, and as integral player in the creation of our production control department. She describes her role as a tour guide as one of her favorites, delighting in the ability to help customers "see the product come to life." In both pottery and furniture decoration, she says she loves painting fish pieces because "they are silly and colorful, and that makes them fun!" Her cross-over experience between the two departments has led to an expertise in our Courtly Check and faux marble patterns, and a natural concentration in Cheltenham. Testing for a kiln firing, she experimented with our signature black-and-white pattern and the result became our beloved Courtly Striped Large Flower Pot. "The best part of working here," she remarks, "is being able to learn on the job from so many truly talented and helpful coworkers over the years. The whole experience has helped me change and grow with the company and I hope to continue to do just that." Sandy's Stamp: SC
FRED
Furniture Decoration, Artisan Teacher/Trainer, Photographer
More about Fred 
FRED
FURNITURE DECORATION, ARTISAN TEACHER/TRAINER, PHOTOGRAPHER
"I enjoy the beautiful picturesque setting of MacKenzie-Childs and Aurora," says Fred, who was born in the Finger Lakes region and began his career at MacKenzie-Childs twelve years ago after hearing about it through word-of-mouth. Fifteen years as a graphic designer and fine artisan well prepared Fred to spend his time in Aurora working in the graphics department and as a furniture decorator. In his free time, he also enjoys photography and outdoor pursuits including windsurfing, kayaking, and hiking. Fred's favorite piece is the grand Turtle Table, with its sweeping landscapes of our beautiful surroundings, and he reflects that spending his day working with his hands is "very satisfying when you hear the customer's reactions. Fred's Stamp: A Forest Fish Green Dot"
JESSE
GLAZING
In his eighteen years working as an artisan, with a career spanning all departments except decorating, Jessie has grown quite comfortable at MacKenzie-Childs, exclaiming "This is my second home!" As the glaze technician, Jessie has developed most of the procedures and helped perfect many of the materials used in his department. Jessie grew up in the area and his brother, who was one of the first MacKenzie-Childs employees, encouraged Jessie to join him in Aurora. Describing his ability to spend his day working with his hands, Jessie says "it's fun," and fittingly, he also enjoys doing carpentry and roofing in his free time. Jessie's Stamp: JS
ANNA
POTTERY DECORATING
Commenting on the beauty of the area, Anna reveals, “Sometimes when coming to work I feel as though I’m going to summer camp.” After learning about MacKenzie-Childs through a newspaper article twelve years ago, she began a career as one of our artisans working in pottery decoration and the hand-application of decals and lustres. Raised in an environment where her talents flourished with the encouragement of artistic parents, Anna also enjoys spending time with friends and calls herself a “big movie person.” Though especially experienced in the intricate techniques of Courtly Checks and faux marbling, Anna works in all decorative applications. She especially enjoys creating the bold, romantic Carousel Pedestal Table. Anna's Stamp: AH
MARISSA
POTTERY DECORATING
"Painting is relaxing and therapeutic for me," says Marissa, who has been working as a MacKenzie-Childs artisan in the pottery decoration department for four years. Though she was never formally trained in art, Marissa has lived in the area half of her life, and after seeing MacKenzie-Childs pieces in a local shop, she began her career in Aurora and now paints pieces in all of our current patterns. She will admit, though, that her favorites are our iconic Fish Platters and the jubilant, farm-fresh pie plates. "I enjoy seeing finished pieces that I painted displayed in the shop," she remarks, adding that she also delights in giving them as gifts to her family and friends. Marissa's Stamp: MS
REBECCA
POTTERY DECORATING
Though she grew up in a neighboring town, Rebecca moved away after college. When she returned to the area, she learned of MacKenzie-Childs and she says, "I knew I wanted to work here." She calls herself a very detail-oriented person, and that attribute, along with her lifelong desire to pursue creative work, made MacKenzie-Childs a perfect fit. She began her career a decade ago as one of our artisans in furniture decoration before transitioning to her current role as a pottery decorator. Rebecca has worked painting the entire range of Taylor patterns, as well as MacLachlan, Chelsea Luster, and Courtly Check, and especially enjoys painting the vibrant, carnival colors of the Piccadilly pieces. "I like feeling that I've helped create something," she says, "I take pride in my work and I feel good being able to put my stamp on it." Rebecca's Stamp: RD
DEBRA
POTTERY DECORATING
"Challenging, relaxing, and fun all at once," is the way Debra describes days spent working with her hands as a MacKenzie-Childs artisan. Debra credits her patience as an attribute that helps make her a successful artisan, where her fifteen year career has seen her working in departments including decals, slipcast , ram press, shipping, quality control, and her current role as a pottery decorator. Debra, who enjoys spending her free time outdoors, gardening, and being with friends and family, has lived in the area her whole life and has family ties to MacKenzie-Childs. She names Myrtle as her favorite pattern to decorate. "I enjoy seeing my work when finished and knowing that it will be shipped to a customer somewhere in the U.S. or abroad," she says, describing one of the many merits of such a unique job. Debra likes "just knowing that I've touched that piece and that it's so far away making someone happy." Debra's Stamp: DH
VALERIE
POTTERY DECORATING
An accomplished artisan with impressive formal training, Valerie has two art degrees, an Associate's Degree in Visual Arts and a Bachelors Degree in Studio Art Design with a concentration in painting from Aurora's own Wells College. Over the course of her year and a half here in Aurora, Valerie has worked in the finishing departments of both ram press and slipcast operations, helping to transform the earthen majolica terra cotta from raw material to polished product by applying a careful hand and artist's eye to our signature silhouettes before their first firing in the kilns. Her current role as a pottery decorator sees her receiving these beautiful pieces fresh from firing and ready to be decorated by her talented brushstrokes. Her technical training and artistic skills have also led to her role as a featured artisan in our Tour Center demonstrating her painting techniques. Valerie looks forward to beginning a certification program in Digital Design this winter. Congratulations to Valerie, who recently became a new mom with the birth of her son Owen. Valerie's Stamp: VP
JUDY
POTTERY DECORATING
Judy was raised on a small farm in the Finger Lakes Region, and has been working on our little farm in Aurora for just under a year. As an artisan working in the pottery decoration department, Judy says she particularly enjoys working on the soft, subdued, checks and florals of the Honeymoon collection. "It's fun, pretty, as well as very elegant," she exclaims about her favorite pattern. She also says she enjoys country living and spending quality time with her family. She delights in the idea of the journey a MacKenzie-Childs piece takes, commenting, "I'm proud to think that piece I paint may become an heirloom in someone's family. Judy's Stamp: JQ "
EILEEN
POTTERY DECORATING
Joining MacKenzie-Childs only a few years after its inception as a fledgling ceramics studio, Eileen now has twenty-three years of experience as an artisan. In her capacities in both wax and dip glazing, and in her current role as a pottery decorator, Eileen has used her artistic talents to help our studio evolve and grow into the company it is today. Eileen says she enjoys spending her days creating with her hands, commenting that her work is sometimes "tiring, but never boring." She also credits her persistence as an attribute that makes her a successful artisan. Outside of MacKenzie-Childs, Eileen spends her time cross stitching, reading, fishing and swimming. Eileen's Stamp: EW
JASON
WAX & DIP
Jason cites interest in and dedication to his musical craft as a skill that makes him a successful artisan, pointing out "I play the guitar, and therefore have good hand-eye coordination." Having grown up in the picturesque village of Aurora, Jason joined friends working at MacKenzie-Childs and has spent the past four years utilizing his artistic dexterity across a broad range of departments from waxing and glazing to pottery decoration, lustre, and kiln operations. In addition to his ability to work in several different steps in the process of ceramics creation, Jason mentions the atmosphere noting, "The people that work here are great." Jason's Stamp: JG
