Kara Pendl is the designer, artist and creative director behind Karacotta Ceramics, based in Austin, TX. Kara is a {mostly} self taught potter, with early instruction from a high school art class, a hobby exploration in 2011, and a lifetime of creative curiosity.
A Wisconsin native, Kara grew up exploring in the woods, adventuring in nature, and creating with organic materials - these experiences heavily influence the unique aesthetic and processes in the body of her work.
When she's not blissfully covered in mud, you can find her out-and-about Austin, practicing handstands, reading in the sun, drinking coffee and chatting goals & strategy with other female entrepreneurs
Karacotta Ceramics are foremost designed with functionality in mind; each piece is handmade to achieve a simple, modern, organic aesthetic. This unique craftsmanship ensures no two pieces are created exactly the same, with slight variations in shape, size and glaze.
During the creation process, each Karacotta piece is touched no less than ten times, equaling several hours of specific attention. After the design stage, each piece is either thrown on the wheel or created using custom molds, left to dry overnight, trimmed, sponged and sanded, bone-dried, bisque fired, sponged and sanded again, glaze fired, and finally inspected, stamped, and delivered. We believe in craftsmanship and do not cut corners for production's sake. We locally curate our tools, clay-bodies, and glazes from the best of the best, or we make them from scratch ourselves.
If you're in Austin, TX, please reach out to us to visit the studio!
