Pottery – a fine art, a craft, a profession and a way of life for Bill and Diane Troxell of Oxford.

Bill, always a craftsman and artist, and his wife Diane, who at first had no interest in the arts, have been working side by side and placing a personal touch on their masterpieces for decades.

After moving to the Oxford area in 1982, Diane met Bill and learned what it would take to make a success of Strongstone Pottery, a business venture Bill had created in 1977. He also taught her how to drive a bus, another profession Diane has done for the past 20 years. Diane and Bill, both having children of their own, became a blended family with blended ideas and together created a thriving business.

Diane, with her fine art of scripture carried down a generation from her father, and Bill having studied fine art and carrying the natural instinct and ability of sculpture design, together began their life long journey and opened a world of possibilities. By 1984, the couple was redefining the art of pottery and in 1988 they were wed.

Strongstone Pottery was sold at art shows nationwide and operated out of the same building that years later would also be home to the current Gallery 3-2-1. Oftentimes, Diane says, people ask how the gallery’s name came to be.