Caryn Fried

Douglass Rankin, along with Will Ruggles, made a line of functional, wood-fired pottery: tall jars, pitchers, platters, plates, teapots, cups, rice bowls, and serving bowls. The pots are wheel thrown or drape molded with simple decorations: sometimes plain brushwork with slip, and once-fired glazes.

Rankin and Ruggles co-owned and operated Rock Creek Pottery in North Carolina for many years. Randy Johnson, who had studied in Japan, introduced them to the Hamada-Leach-Yanagi tradition in aesthetics and production methods, which influenced Rankin and Ruggles.

In addition to being well known for their wood-fired pottery, Ruggles and Rankin held instructional workshops on kiln building, advising and helping many potters and institutions.