During his final semester at Texas Tech University, David Harmon became so absorbed in a pottery class that one of his professors felt compelled to intervene. “I get it, I love pottery too. But you are failing your senior portfolio classes, and you are not going to make a living selling pots.”
Harmon took the advice, finished his degree in Design Communication and went on to a successful career in corporate America. But his professor’s prediction eventually proved mistaken.
Today, Harmon owns Harmon Pottery and The Pottery in Galveston, a working studio at 1215 Avenue M 1/2, where he makes functional pottery and teaches others how to turn a lump of clay into something they can use for years.
The path back to pottery included 40 years in Fort Worth, positions with Microsoft and Dell, a 21-year hiatus from the craft, and a return to the Galveston neighborhood where his family’s roots stretch back nearly 120 years.
His great-uncle, John "Jack" Riley, arrived from Tyler County in 1908 at age 18 and went to work for Colonel W. L. Moody. Starting as an office boy, he spent 44 years with the company, eventually becoming secretary-treasurer and manager of its cotton ginning plant.
Harmon’s great-grandmother, Louella, came to Galveston in 1920 after her husband died while she was pregnant. Her brothers built her a house at 1127 Avenue I, where Harmon’s mother and uncle, Nathan "Denny," were later born and raised.
Although Harmon grew up in a Navy family and moved frequently, the house remained a constant throughout his childhood. “Galveston became our regular stop between moves, but to me, it was always home,” he said.
He remembers exploring old houses, building forts with neighborhood children and making pretend guitars from boards and paper plates.
There were walks to Micheletti Grocery, Chili-Pacs and Arthur's Drug Store with his grandmother, who didn't drive, and music drifting through the neighborhood from beach establishments on warm evenings.
"Back then, it seemed like every neighborhood had its own little grocery store, usually just a short walk from home," he said. "I miss those little neighborhood stores. They were as much a part of the neighborhood as the people who lived there."
His Uncle Denny was usually working on something around the house, and Harmon frequently helped.
"I didn't realize it at the time, but he taught me a tremendous amount about working with my hands, solving problems and figuring things out," Harmon said. "Years later, when I was renovating our home on Avenue M 1/2, I found myself using skills I'd learned working alongside him."
An interest in Galveston’s historic architecture initially led Harmon to study architecture at Texas Tech, although he eventually switched to graphic design. Then he happened upon someone throwing pottery at South Plains Mall in Lubbock.
“I was fascinated by how they could take a lump of clay and turn it into something beautiful,” he said.
He enrolled in a pottery class and was immediately taken with the craft, saying he loved the feel of clay in his hands and the idea that he could create something both beautiful and useful.
"I had studied design for years, but pottery was different," he said. "For the first time, I truly felt like an artist."
He continued making pottery while building a career in graphic design and technology consulting, working with companies including Arthur Andersen, Microsoft and Dell. He also sold pottery at art festivals around North Texas.
By the mid-1990s, however, career and family responsibilities left little time for pottery. He didn’t return to pottery until 2016, when he enrolled in classes at Tarrant County College.
Soon, the finished pieces began accumulating. “My wife finally said, ‘We need to do something with all this pottery,’” Harmon said.
They began selling through Etsy, and Harmon was astonished when the first order arrived.
“I couldn’t believe someone wanted to buy something I’d made. My wife wasn’t surprised at all. She’s always believed in my work, even when I wasn’t so sure of myself.”
Throughout their years in Fort Worth, Galveston remained close to his heart. Framed issues of Galveston Monthly hung in his home office, including covers featuring pelicans, René Wiley paintings of island homes and a sunset photograph.
“They were little reminders of home,” he said. “Whenever we returned to Galveston to visit family, crossing the causeway brought a sense of peace.”
In 2017, the couple purchased a house on Avenue M 1/2. When his wife’s longtime job was moved offshore, she accepted a position with American National, and they decided to relocate permanently in 2020.
COVID-19 complicated their renovations, but they finally moved into their house that July. Harmon eventually continued his corporate career remotely with Dell while making pottery in a studio beneath their home.
In 2021, he enrolled in ceramics classes at Galveston College and discovered he enjoyed helping fellow students. He soon began teaching evening continuing education classes. When Dell changed its remote-work policy, he decided to establish a teaching studio of his own.
In March 2025, the couple acquired a second property on the same block as their home and began converting it into a pottery studio and teaching space. They soon discovered an aging air-conditioning system, buckled walls, deteriorating floors and a bathroom needing extensive repairs.
"It seemed like every time we addressed one problem, we discovered another," he said.
They searched Facebook Marketplace for secondhand equipment, renting trucks to collect purchases throughout Texas and Louisiana.
“We were trying to keep our startup costs as low as possible, so we really built the studio piece by piece.”
The Pottery in Galveston opened in December 2025. Harmon’s work includes mugs, bowls, covered casseroles, colanders, and serving dishes.
His coastal surroundings influence his preference for rich blues, greens and jewel tones, and a wavy line has become a signature feature of many pieces.
“I think of my work as functional art,” he said. “I want my pottery to be beautiful, but I also want people to use it.”
Making a piece requires considerably more than shaping clay on a wheel. After forming, trimming and drying, a piece undergoes an initial kiln firing, glazing and another firing. The process generally takes six to eight weeks.
“One of my favorite parts is opening the kiln after a glaze firing. It’s a little like Christmas morning,” he said. “Even when you’ve used the same glaze before, you never know exactly how everything will turn out.”
While making pottery remains rewarding, teaching has brought a different kind of satisfaction.
“People often come into class a little apprehensive,” Harmon said. “They aren’t sure they’re artistic, or they think they’ll never be able to make something on the wheel.”
He has to remind some students to breathe because they’re concentrating so intensely. Others need encouragement to slow the wheel.
“There’s one student in particular who just tickles me,” he said. “When she successfully pulls up the walls of a piece, she’ll lean back, look at what she’s accomplished, and start laughing with delight. And I can’t help but laugh right along with her.”
His wife continues to be his biggest supporter, managing much of the business, photographing pottery, handling online sales and finding art shows. She has also learned handbuilding, creating pottery by hand rather than on a wheel, and experiments with glaze combinations.
They even have a name for the way hours disappear when he’s working: “Potter Time.”
“It’s a little like island time, except it happens in the studio,” Harmon said. “I’ll tell my wife I’m going to the studio for an hour, but then I need to finish something, clean something, organize something, or throw just one more bowl.”
One bowl invariably becomes three, followed by another couple of hours of cleanup.
For Harmon, the people he’s met through pottery have become as important as the pieces he makes. He hopes the studio will continue growing into a place where students and experienced potters share ideas and friendships.
Returning to Galveston has also renewed his interest in his family's history. After Uncle Denny died in 2021, Harmon discovered boxes of old photographs and began piecing together stories about earlier generations.
“Today, I have the opportunity to live and work in a neighborhood that has been part of my family’s story for more than a century,” he said.
“Galveston isn’t just a place filled with childhood memories. It’s where generations of my family built their lives, and now I’m adding another chapter to that story.”
To learn more about Harmon Pottery, view upcoming classes and workshops, browse examples of Harmon's work, and subscribe to studio updates, visit harmonpottery.com.
Whether you're interested in learning the craft yourself or adding a handcrafted piece to your home, the website offers additional information about the studio and its growing community of potters.