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FOUNDERS
"Our goal is to bring ancient tradition into your modern home. We are dedicated to creating fine art pieces for everyday use that inspire and elevate your quality of life."
John Henderson
In 2015, he moved to California to complete his Medical training and eventually planted himself in Venice beach while working as a physician and a part time potter.
JOHN HENDERSON
My interest in pottery started at a young age. I would sit wide-eyed as the master potter spun his wheel creating or “throwing” artistic creations from balls of dirt. As a young teenager I started taking pottery lessons at Tire City Potters, a local pottery studio in downtown Augusta. I was eager to try my hand at the art form.
I was hooked after only a few months of lessons. I begged my parents to help me with renting my own studio space with hopes that I would be able to pay them back through selling my creations. My enthusiasm for pottery continued into medical school, where I found myself back in the studio working as an artist apprentice. I spent any free time at the studio surrounded by eclectic personalities, budding artists, and filled with excitement every time a customer chooses one of my pieces.
From L to R, High School students of Spring 2004 (Will, Shishir, John and Harley). For their senior project, they built a salt kiln from scratch together with the leadership of the master potter,
Shishir Chokshi.
When someone admires something you made, it makes all the time and effort - throwing the form, trimming, firing, glazing, and firing again – worth it. Every pot I make starts as a ball of clay, a useless piece of earth that is scooped out of a bucket and thrown down on the wheel. Then with my foot on the pedal the wheel begins to spin, unknowingly in sync with jazzy beats of Miles Davis coming out of the studio’s speakers, and I start working my hands into the clay. As the wheel turns, it draws me in and allows me to focus on nothing else but what is happening in that moment, as if I were hypnotized by the spinning clay.
Every pot starts from a basic form, the cylinder. This rudimentary shape can make any thing I wish from functional ware including bowls and coffee cups to artistic pieces that, while lacking function, are purely aesthetic and pleasing to the eye. This is what I love about clay. Any day I sit down at the wheel there are an infinite number of possibilities that I can create.
I find personal enjoyment in knowing that collectors appreciate the beauty and individuality of each piece. I envision enriching people's morning ritual when they select my handcrafted creation over other generic kitchenware in their cupboard. This is where the joy being a potter comes from, in knowing that every day I am making someone’s day a little bit better with my work. In the end, if I can contribute to others’ happiness, whether it is through healing them or creating a decorative piece that they lovingly display on their mantle, I will say that I have succeeded in my life.
Gimlet Henderson
With her macrame door curtain in Venice, CA (2020)
GIMLET HENDERSON
Since childhood, I’ve always had an interest in creating and making art. This interest draws from the inspiration of watching my grandmother perform her crafts in basket weaving, making recycled ropes and candle making.
After finishing my degree in hospitality in Manila, I moved to the United States to continue my career. While I love the hospitality industry, my dream has always been to start my own business and capitalize on the freedom to create. In my early 20’s I decided to settle in LA, enthusiastic about decorating my own apartment space and taking the challenge to find pieces that reflect my personality and style.
My resourcefulness and creativity inspired me to design and create my own furniture from scratch. I was a 20 year-old-something with a container of hardware tools living in Hollywood filling my apartment with my own unique pieces. In 2015, this desire to create grew even fonder when I discovered the beautiful art of macramé plant hangers. I loved the freedom that weaving a design out of rope gave me. Despite the confusing interlacing fibers, I saw peace and harmony.
Fast forward to 2020, that dream became a reality when John and I decided to start Carbon and Sulfur. Our unique ability to collaborate is incredible, giving us a strong artistic outlet.
Building the website from the ground up, photographing all of our work and managing the day-to-day operations of the business has been a great experience for me. While I do love being the ‘boss lady’, I also enjoy getting my hands dirty while honing my pottery skills, carving, manipulating clay, and making macramé plant hangers for our pottery. Passion for our craft goes into every product, and it’s the best feeling knowing it’ll bring joy to somebody’s home.
