That same peace of mind and contentment with one’s own self is also evident in the life of Traudi Thornton. Born in Czechoslovakia, she was reared in Germany. In the Wilmington home in which she has lived for 31 years, Thornton’s Raku and stoneware pottery is ever present. The colorful, fine art Raku pieces sit decora-tively on the shelves of the living areas, “I wanted to study music but I had to take pottery and ceramics, and I knew I was good at it from the start,” Thornton says. “It was the first time I knew I was good at something I really liked so I said, ‘That is for me.’” while her handmade mugs, plates and bowls fill the kitchen’s cupboards. Unlike Kalina, a love of pottery and ceramics was not part of Thornton’s childhood, but something discovered by chance. During her first trip to the United States in the 1960s, Thornton decided to study music at Creighton University while living in Omaha, Nebraska. However, it was while taking a required pottery and ceramics class that Thornton decided to shift her focus. “I wanted to study music but I had to take pottery and ceramics, and I knew I was good at it from the start,” Thornton says. “It was the first time I knew I was good at something I really liked so I said, ‘That is for me.’” 42 WBM december 2014
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