Welcome to Maryhill Clayworks. I am a one-person small business, working from my studio in Freeville, NY.

I make everything you order with the greatest of care, and handle each order individually -- from design, to production and shipping.

I use only high quality white stoneware clay with a premium white glaze that is smooth and soft to the touch. 

All of my work is dishwasher, oven, and microwave-safe.

 

I earned my Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in sculpture from Boston University, worked as a portrait sculptor for a monument company in Barre, VT, and for 6 years as a product designer for the MacKenzie-Childs pottery company in Aurora, NY.  

 

I was born and raised on a dairy farm in Dryden, NY in the heart of the Fingerlakes’ wine country.  I'm the 7th son and 11th child of Marion and Norbert Schickel's 13 children. 

 

From my mother I learned balance, proportion and how to live a beautiful life. From my father I learned about setting goals, dreaming big and taking a chance. From my brothers and sisters I learned to be scrappy, to be kind, and to share. 

 

In 2003 I founded Maryhill Clayworks, named for our dairy farm. My home and studio are located just outside of Ithaca.

My wish is to create beautiful work, which complements and inspires your culinary creations, houses your beautiful bouquets, or celebrates your milestone events.

I invite you to explore my work and to make it your own.

 

All best wishes,  Jacques Schickel

My Artistic Heritage 

A family rooted in art

My great grandfather, Wilhelm Schickel, immigrated to New York City from Wiesbaden, Germany in 1868 after studying architecture at the Beaux Arts in Paris. He became a leading architect in New York and designed over 150 buildings in New York City and throughout the northeast including the landmark Century Building and Saint Ignatius Loyola Church in Manhattan, the famous Mission Church in Boston and Saint Vincent's Archabbey Basilica in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.

 

The Basilica and Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is a Roman Catholic Basilica in Boston Massachusetts, known as "The Mission Church".

My great grandfather Wilhelm carried with him a letter from his parents when he emigrated to America in 1870. They, knowing that they would likely never see their son again, exhorted him to live a life built upon faith, grounded in truth and characterized by respect for himself and for others. This letter has been re-read aloud at important family occasions and remains as a source for my own life and my artistic vision:

Great Grandfather Wilhelm's Letter

Wiesbaden, July 15, 1870

Dear Wilhelm,

 

Travel with God, then no mishap will befall thee! Hold fast to your holy religion, to which you are pledged! Be on your guard against every sin and avoid every occasion which could bring you to a fall. Let prayer be your daily weapon; never omit the practices of your holy religion. Do not forget your dear parents and think of your faithful brothers and sisters. Be for them if you can, father and provider. Remember your good grandparents and lock them into your daily prayer. In your vocation, may you become always more proficient, and be a man of character. Be hard working and frugal; that will save you from want. Increase your property but not at the expense of uprightness and loyalty. Be loving towards all, and have a heart for those who suffer want. Take care of your health, but more still, think of your eternal happiness! Let this memorandum be written in your heart, then our reunion, be it here or there, will be a happy one.

Your parents, who will always bear you in their heart:

Johannes and Gertruda Schickel

My grandfather, Norbert Schickel, an engineer who designed and built the early Schickel motorcycle. Norbert Schickel also built the first reinforced concrete apartment building in America in the 1940's, the Fairview Manor in Ithaca, New York.

1913 Schickel Motorcycle

Schickel Motorcycle factory Stamford, Connecticut.

My grandfather on my mother's side, Henry Cockrell, crafted fine furniture in East Greenwich, Rhode Island for many years. His eye for the harmony and symmetry found in the best furniture of the past and his patience in honing the artisan skills to craft in wood a unity of art and utility continue to be an inspiration to me.

My uncle, also named William Schickel , was a painter, sculptor, architectural designer, furniture designer, and stained-glass artist using liturgical themes to project a healing vision of faith and purpose. Mr. Deal Hudson of Crisis Magazine said, "History will view William Schickel as one of the greatest and most prolific American artists of the second half of this [20th] century."

My father was a bomber pilot, mechanical engineer, farmer, patron of the arts and a real estate developer of integrity and vision whose projects, Geneva on the Lake, Fairview Heights (designed by Marcel Breuer) and Eastwood Commons were undertaken for their inherent fitness to their place, time and intended use.

Geneva On The Lake  Geneva, NY.

After WW2 my parents influenced by the Catholic Worker movement sought to build an abundant life in and on the land. They chose Dryden, NY as the place to farm and raise their ever growing family in the warm embrace of the good, the true and the beautiful.

In my own generation the artistic tradition continues. My older brother, Bill, preceded me in studying art at Boston University. My sister Catherine teaches art. Two of my brothers, Thomas and Sarto, are architects; while another brother, Bruno, is a builder and home designer. Whether directly engaged in making art or not, each of my siblings shares an openness to beauty and an appreciation for its transformative power. 

 I am proud to draw upon the artistic influences I have generously received throughout my life, often quite unconsciously, through growing up in an environment of deep appreciation for art.

 

Have a great day.

 

Jacques Schickel

 

 

 

Contact information:

email: jacques@jacquesschickel.com

cell: 607-227-7888

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just click on one of the logo buttons above.

Many thanks, Jacques

 

Baby's Bunny Bowl 

"This is the sweetest thing I have ever ever seen ! 

Much love to you, Jacques."

 -Victoria Mackenzie-Childs

"Jacques,

Your bowl is being adored in Vermont, your whispering rabbit is being cherished in D.C., and your fish is delighting my mother in Pleasantville. Thank you, thank you! - Betsy"

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To inquire about commissioning a work of pottery or sculpture please contact me. I'm easy to talk to. - Jacques 

"The mugs arrived yesterday and they are just perfect ! I really love them ! -

Thank you and Merry Christmas," Laurie

Please share my website with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, or through Email. It's easy

just click on one of the logo buttons above.

Many thanks, Jacques