The Clayground

The Clayground was founded in 1986 by Rene (Ron) Patenaude and David Roy. We moved our home to East Otis, MA, in the southeast corner of Berkshire County in 1993. In 2001, we moved the gallery/shop out of the house and into a separate building (barn) built just for that purpose...gave us more working space in our studio...there are plans for further expansion in the (near) future, but right now, we are happy to have fixed and finished a few things in the barn. The gallery has our work and the work of about 12 other craft artisans who share a similar philosophy that we have of limited production, high-quality work at affordable prices, so people can enjoy what we create. Most of the work is either made from clay, glass, or a combination of both. There is everything from hand-blown glass to stoneware drums to hand-made jewelry to press-molded candlesticks and menorahs to fused and slump glass vases. Of course, we also have some lighting available, since it is one of our specialties. One of the nicest things about the work in our shop is that we know the craftspeople who made the items and understand the work they put into their creations. We have found that people will stop by the shop to see what it is all about and might not make purchases then, but will usually come back when they are looking for a unique gift or want something special for their own homes.
Our own work is a mix of low-production pieces, particularly lamps, and one-of-a-kind hand-thrown stoneware - mostly functional pieces such as vases, bowls, platters, and drums...though we hope people also find them decorative enough to display in their homes when not using them!
We are located at 436 North Blandford Road, East Otis, MA 01029, though the mailing address is Blandford, MA 01008 (same street address) and the phone number is 413-269-4787. We are usually open on the weekends throughout the year, but it would be best to call and check, especially in the dead of winter; we are happy to open up the gallery if you're out and about and want to stop by on another day; we are also happy to open if you want to call and make an appointment for a specific time or day, too - the number again is 413-269-4787; email is clayground@aol.com