Willen Gebben's Hillcrest Pottery is located on an old farmstead in rural Colfax, Wisconsin. Making pottery is relatively energy-intensive, but Gebben strives to make his workshop as efficient as possible. He slakes his clay in large tubs, throws the pots on a foot-powered kickwheel, and single-fires them in a wood-fired kiln. He uses electricity only for a small pug mill that removes air bubbles from the clay — and, of course, a few light bulbs.
