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Our soda fired kiln is a critical part of our facilities at The Clay Studio of Missoula. This piece of equipment experiences an extreme amount of wear and tear, requires constant maintenance, and needs to be replaced more frequently than other kilns. Many of our resident artists and artists in our community rely on the soda kiln to fire their work. It is extremely cost prohibitive for an independent artist to build and maintain this type of kiln, so many count on us to provide this accessible resource. This kiln also serves as a valuable teaching tool for our continuing students who are looking to learn more about firing processes to expand their abilities in ceramics.
Our funding goal for this project is $24000.
Meeting our financial goal will enable us to purchase the bricks, steel, new burners, and cover the fees for our kiln builder, Scott Ross. It will also help us obtain new furniture for the kiln and get us situated with a small maintenance fund.
Please consider the core of The Clay Studio of Missoula's mission to make ceramics accessible and as affordable as we can for our community, and donate generously at this year's Potsketch auction ask!
"Twin Fall Colors" - Potsketch by Dudley Anderson Media: Raku - gold Leaf Dimensions: 5x5"
Dudley Anderson was regularly exposed to and inspired by commercial art while assisting his step-father as a child. Even then, he was often directed by his art instructors to explain his "out of the box" creations. He began his journey with ceramics in 1969 at the Ketterer Art Center in Bozeman, MT. In the 80's his ceramic work was displayed in the Missoula Art Museum and consequently, he received invitations to enter works in shows in other states. In more recent years, his interests led him to use exotic woods, leather, resins, and brass to create art, golf putters, and knives. At present, he is creating highly textured vessels by utilizing drying methods while throwing on the potter's wheel with a stick and only one hand and often firing with the Raku method.
"Pastoral View" - Potsketch by Adrian Arleo Media: Monoprint of mixed media collage Dimensions: 8x9"
Adrian Arleo is a ceramic sculptor living outside Missoula, Montana. She studied Art and Anthropology at Pitzer College (B.A. 1983) and received her M.F.A. in ceramics from Rhode Island School of Design in 1986. Arleo was an Artist in Residence at Oregon College of Art and Craft in 1986-87, and at Sitka Center for Art and Ecology in 1987-88. For nearly thirty years, Arleo has focused her work on the human figure, often combining it with animal imagery, and other elements of the natural world. Some works allude to a relationship of understanding or connection between the human and animal realms. In others, human figures possess animal features in a way that reveals something hidden about the character or primal nature of the human.
Potsketch by Andrew Avakian Media: Handcolored etching, collage Dimensions: 5x5"
Andrew Avakian received a BFA in ceramics from Western Carolina University, and spent two years studying ceramics at the University of Florida as a post baccalaureate. He completed residencies at Cub Creek Foundation for the Ceramic Arts in Virginia, and at Odyssey Clayworks in North Carolina before moving to Missoula, MT. He was a long-term resident at The Clay Studio of Missoula 2016-2018. His vessels combine architectural elements with painterly, layered surfaces. His studio is located inside the historic Brunswick Building in Missoula.
Potsketch by James Bailey Media: print on paper Dimensions: 5x5"
James Bailey was born in New Jersey, and grew up in Minneapolis, MN. He earned his M.F.A. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is currently an artist and Professor in the School of Art at The University of Montana. In 1998 he established Matrix Press and runs the Annual Day of the Dead Steamroller Print Project. James has exhibited his work in over 300 exhibitions nationally and internationally. His work can be found in numerous collections including those of the Walker Art Center, New York Public Library, Jundt Art Museum among others. He was also included in the documentary film titled Midwest Matrix and he serves on the board for the Printmaking Legacy Project.
"Red-Legged Seriema (Cariama Cristata)" - Potsketch by Courtney Blazon Media: pen on paper and found feather Dimensions: 5x5"
Courtney Blazon is an artist and illustrator living and working in Missoula. She is a graduate from Parsons School of Design, where she received her BFA in Illustration. She has shown in Missoula at The Radius Gallery, The Brink Gallery and The UC Gallery. Outside of Montana, her work has been shown in Seattle, Portland, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. Her work has been featured in New American Paintings (Western Edition), Studio Visit Magazine, and juxtapoz.com. She received a Montana Arts Council Artists Innovation Award in 2011. She is represented by Radius Gallery in Missoula, MT.
"Sketchtitle" - Potsketch by Renee Brown
Media: Paper, Multimedia
Dimensions: 5.5x8.5x4"
Renee Brown spent many summer days playing in the creek bed next to her home growing up in Conyers Georgia. Clay has always been under her nails. In 2002 Brown left the Interior design field to pursue her MFA in Ceramics at the University of North Texas. Upon receiving her degree, she completed several artist residencies in Montana including: The Archie Bray Foundation, Red Lodge Clay Center, and The Clay Studio of Missoula. She now maintains a studio in her home in Missoula, Montana.
"Grizzly Creek study" - Potsketch by Isobel Buck
Media: Ink wash, watercolor, graphite
Dimensions: 5x5"
Isobel Buck is a graphic designer and illustrator living in and originally from Missoula. She spent many years in Colorado where she worked as a graphic designer and taught graphic design for Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs. Before that, she received her B.A. in Art from the University of Montana in 1996. Her digital art stems from her traditional media sketches and studies of nature - flowers, weeds, trees, bugs, and animals - particularly rabbits. She loves to paint in watercolors and oils. Her digital work is implemented mainly through the tool of Adobe Illustrator, and always with the help of a graphics tablet.
"Doorway, Fort Benton" - Potsketch by Leland Buck
Media: cyanotype print
Dimensions: 5.75x5.75"
Leland Buck is a photographer, writer, filmmaker, audio recordist, and coder exploring communities through documentary, travel, and portraiture. He lives in Missoula, MT.
"Hola Mexico" - Potsketch by Susan Carlson
Media: Clay, Underglaze, glaze, room-temp glaze
Dimensions: 5x5x3"
Susan Carlson is a local Missoula artist who is a member, student and studio artist at the Clay Studio of Missoula. She attended Gonzaga University and the University of Montana where she earned a BFA. She currently serves on the board of directors of the Clay Studio of Missoula.
Potsketch by Eva Champagne
Media: Mixed media on paper
Eva Champagne is an artist of American birth and international upbringing and tendency. She received her B.A. in Studio Art from Humboldt State University and completed Post-Baccalaureate study at the University of Florida. In 2009 she earned her M.F.A. in Ceramics from the University of Montana-Missoula. For several years afterwards she traveled extensively for artist residencies including AIR Vallauris in France, Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center in Denmark, Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts in Maine, Red Lodge Clay Center and The Clay Studio of Missoula in Montana, and Gaya Ceramic Art Center in Bali, Indonesia. Eva is currently the Managing Director at Gaya Ceramic Art Center.
"Cicada" - Potsketch by Lane Chapman
Media: Linoprint, ink
Dimensions: 5x5.5"
Lane Chapman is a utilitarian potter influenced by the natural world. Starting out as a painter and illustrator, she transitioned into clay after being hooked by her first class. Lane obtained a BFA in ceramics in 2017 from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. After graduating, she moved to Rochester, NY for a two-year residency at the Flower City Arts Center. Lane was a long-term resident at The Clay Studio of Missoula from 2019-2021, and was a resident at Wildfire Ceramic Studio shortly thereafter. She is currently pursuing her MFA in ceramics at University of Montana.
"Sun Gods, 2023" - Potsketch By Nancy Coffelt
Media: acrylic, gouache, gold leaf on pannel
Dimensions: 6x6x2"
I am fascinated by animals. They come in a myriad of shapes, textures, and colors. They also express a rainbow of emotions. I try to capture their strength, dignity-and humor. After many years working in oil pastels I have fallen in love with painting. My studio is in the back of an historic building off of Main Street in Baker City, OR -a town known for its arts and artists.
"play" - Potsketch by Jennifer Combe
Media: Acrylic on Panel
Jennifer Combe is a mother, artist, and assistant professor of art at The University of Montana. Before shifting to higher education, she taught K12 in Washington State public schools for fifteen years. Her artwork investigates gender, contemporary motherhood, and children's development. Her visual work has been exhibited at The Missoula Art Museum, Holter Museum of Art, The Gift Shop exhibition space at The Henry Art Gallery in Seattle, and The Washington State Center for Performing Arts. She is invested in teacher education programs that integrate community arts and social theory. Her educational work has been featured in The Journal of Social Theory in Art Education and The Journal of the Motherhood Initiative for Research and Community Involvement.
My research and artistic work explore cultural constructs around gender and mothering, ability, and schooling. Drawing from autobiography, I locate the essence of an experience and then distill my understanding of that experience into simplified, often geometric, forms. This process helps deconstruct cultural paradigms that complicate interpretation and meaning-ultimately how we perceive ourselves.
"Thinking" - Potsketch by Stephanie Dishno
Media: digital image
Stephanie Dishno is a figurative ceramic artist currently residing in Missoula where she is a long term resident at The Clay Studio of Missoula and the President and Co-Founder of Wildfire Ceramic Studio.
Potsketch by Chris Drobnock
Media: Pencil on vellum and paper
Dimensions: 5.25x5.25"
Chris Drobnock, who achieved a Masters in Fine Art from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, in 2016, and previously a Bachelor of Fine Arts with a dual concentration in ceramics and printmaking from Edinboro University; lives in the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania in the Southern and Middle part of the state. He spent three months as an academic resident artist at the Tainan National University of the Arts in Southern Taiwan and in 2018 completed a two-year residency at the Clay Studio of Missoula in western Montana.
Drobnock has been operating under RIVER ARTS as a practicing studio potter, sculptor, illustrator, and designer since 2011 when he established his Juniata River location in Mount Union, Pennsylvania.
Potsketch by Chris Dufala
Media: Pencil on paper
Chris Dufala was born and raised in New Jersey and received his MFA in Spatial Arts/Ceramics at San Jose State University. Chris is dedicated to his studio practice, maintaining an active exhibition record, is a former resident of the Archie Bray Foundation, The clay Studio of Missoula and Osage Artists Community. He has instructed as faculty, lectured on his working process, and led visiting artist demonstrations at several institutions, including: NCECA, University of Montana, Montana State University Bozeman, State University of New York Fredonia, Bowling Green State University, and Western Michigan University. To name a few. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Studio Arts, Ceramics/3D at Santa Ana College in Southern California.
Potsketch by Liz Dye
Media: ink, watercolor, pencil, colored pencil
Liz Dye is from Missoula and loves supporting the arts. She currently serves on the board of Open Air.
Potsketch by Donna Flanery
Media: Stoneware tile
Dimensions: 4x4"
Donna Flanery makes pottery and comics. She received an MFA from the University of Florida, 2013. Her BFA is from the University of Montana, 2005. She has been a Resident Artist and Fellow at The Archie Bray Foundation 2007-2009, and The Northern Clay Center 2006; a Resident Artist at The Pottery Workshop, Shanghai 2010, The Zentrum fur Keramik, Berlin 2013, and The Clay Studio of Missoula, 2015-2016. Her playful painted pottery offers support and encouragement in a world full of serious problems.
"Brown Betty" - Potsketch by Stephanie J. Frostad
Media: graphie and oil on artboard
Stephanie J. Frostad studied at Studio Arts Center International in Florence, Italy where she began painting in 1985. She received a BFA from the Maryland Institute, College of Art in 1990, and in 1994 completed an MFA in Painting at The University of Montana. Frostad has exhibited throughout the Northwest, in California, Maryland, Washington D.C. and abroad in Canada, China, Italy and New Zealand. In 1994 she was awarded a Montana Arts Council Individual Artist Fellowship. Her work is held in numerous private and public collections including The University of Victoria in British Columbia, The Butte-Silverbow Arts Foundation, The Montana Museum of Arts and Culture, The Missoula Art Museum and The University of Washington Medical Center. Born and raised in Walla Walla, Washington, Frostad now makes her home in Missoula, Montana.
Potsketch by Mo Gary
Media: porcelain
Dimensions: 6.5x4.5x1.5"
Mo Gary's passions are gardening and art. Thirty years ago she started growing vegetables, making pottery, and weaving baskets. Dirt, clay and plants consumed her as they kept her in the natural world. Mo must have flowers with her always. Wood firing clay drives her wild. Mo's work is diverse, organic, intricate, and personal. She cannot keep her hands off of it. It speaks of growth and bloom.
"Plug Tile" - Potsketch by Ron Geibel
Media: Porcelain
Dimensions: 5.5x5.5x.25"
Ron Geibel received an MFA from the University of Montana. Geibel has exhibited his work in Canada and throughout the United States including the New York Ceramics and Glass Fair, NYC; Indianapolis Art Center, Indianapolis; Houston Center for Contemporary Craft, Houston; and Manifest Gallery in Cincinnati. Ceramics Monthly Magazine recognized Geibel as an emerging artist in 2015. Currently, he is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Art at Southwestern University in Georgetown, TX.
Potsketch by Bev Beck Glueckert
Media: Intaglio, graphite, ink
Bev is a 4th generation Montanan living and working in Missoula. She has been a teaching artist and workshop facilitator for adults and children for over 30 years. Bev's work has been widely exhibited throughout Montana as well as regionally. She is currently preparing for an Open Air Artists Residency for spring. She is a member of the SALTMINE Artists group in Missoula.
Bev earned her BA degree in Art from the University of Idaho in 1979 and a MFA degree in printmaking from the University of Montana in 1989.
Potsketch by Stephen Glueckert
Media: Pencil, China marker
Stephen Glueckert was born in Missoula and received a BFA from the University of Idaho and an M.Ed in Art Education from Western Washington University. He has taught at The University of Montana, the University of Papua New Guinea, and throughout the Pacific Northwest. He spent ten years at the Northwest Children's Home as a counselor and teacher. He has been a recipient of a Montana Individual Artist's Fellowship. He is Curator Emeritus for Missoula Art Museum. In addition, being a practicing artist, he has written extensively about contemporary artists living and working in Montana.
Potsketch by Arthur Gonzalez
Media: pen on paper
Arthur Gonzalez is an internationally exhibiting artist with over fifty one-person shows in the last forty years, including eight in Manhattan, New York. He has received many awards including the Virginia Groot Foundation twice and is an unprecedented four-time recipient of the National Endowment of the Arts Fellowship within a ten-year period. He is in numerous public collections including the Museum of Modern Ceramic Art in Gifu, Japan, the Smithsonian Archives of American Art, the Oakland Museum of California, the Goodwin-Ternbach Museum, Queens College New York, the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, and most recently, the Holter Museum in Helena MT. He is the author of "The Art of Rejection" an autobiography of a career through reaction drawings on rejection letters. He is a tenured Professor at the California College of the Arts. Gonzalez has been an artist-in-residence in many places including University of Georgia, Athens, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Penland School of Craft, North Carolina, University of Akron in Ohio, Tainan National University in Taiwan, Pilchuck Glass School in Seattle, Washington, and the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana.
"Winter Creek" - Potsketch by Kristi Hager
Media: Gouache on paper
Dimensions: 7x7"
Kristi Hager lives in Missoula and has worked as a self-employed photographer and painter in Montana since 1984. Hager earned a BA in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Awards include a 1986 Montana Arts Council Artist's Fellowship, 1989 NEA Artist's Fellowship, and a 2003 Gottlieb Foundation Individual Support Grant based on twenty year's artistic achievement. Hager received the Montana Arts Council Artist's Innovation Award in 2010.
"Emergent" - Potsketch by Emily Hall
Media: Acrylic, pen, handmade paper
Dimensions: 5x5.75"
Emily Hall is a self-taught artist from the small town of Grangeville, Idaho. Mainly working with acrylics, paper, and wax, her artwork is largely autobiographical and illustrative in nature, with dark humor being an underpinning theme in most of her scenes. Having worked in the Picture Framing industry since 2000, she is now the current owner of Art Attic Framing & Design. She is truly blessed being able to combine her love of art, passion for presentation, preservation, and meaningful conversations all in a day's work.
Potsketch by Matthew Hamon
Media: handcut antique phoptograph
Dimensions: 5x3"
Matthew Hamon is a portrait photographer who lives in rural Montana. His photography exists conceptually and aesthetically in the spaces between photojournalism and staged editorial imagery. Matt hails from a small, remote town in Northern California. A sense of place informed by wandering the woods as a child inspires his enquiry. Self-described as "post-rural," Matt currently lives in Potomac, Montana near the Blackfoot River and teaches in the School of Art at the University of Montana in Missoula. Matt is a featured artist in Scott Ligon's forthcoming book from Watson-Guptil/Random House, "Digital Art Revolution." Matt's work has been featured on CNN, Outside Magazine, LifeFramer, 1 Million Photographers (1MP), 6Mois.fr, and Month of Photography, Los Angeles (MOPLA).
"An invitation (to play)" - Potsketch by Candice Haster
Media: Porcelain clay
Dimensions: approx 5.5x2"
Candice Haster lives, makes art and teaches art in Missoula, MT. She studied with Tom Rippon in the 90s at U of M and is in the midst of completing a multidisciplinary arts graduate degree. She has lived and worked in KC, NY, RI and OR. Works include clay, printmaking, felt, installation, performance and often a special invitation for audience participation and play. Currently she is inching toward a large scale installation of her small works, as she continues to advocate for access to the arts within our public schools. Ask her questions. She loves questions.
"The Couch" - Potsketch By Jim Heath
Media: Stoneware, underglaze, paper
Dimensions: 5.5x6"
James Heath is originally from Butte and has lived in Missoula since 1982. He graduated from The University of Montana, with a BFA specializing in ceramics. His passionate relationship with clay began in 1999, at the Clay Studio of Missoula. Jim's involvement in the ceramic arts has grown with the Clay Studio. He has served on the Clay Studio Board of Directors since 2005.
Potsketch by Trey Hill
Media: Ceramic, wood, steel
Dimensions: 6.5x5x2.5"
Trey Hill is an Assistant Professor of Ceramics at the University of Montana. In addition to
teaching, Trey has traveled and worked at many different residencies, including two years as a Taunt Fellow at the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts in Helena, MT, and at the LH Project in Joseph, OR. His international experience includes time spent in Latvia building a public commission and China, where he created work at the Fu Le International Ceramic Art Museum in Fuping.
"Thoughts On Landscapes" - Potsketch by David Hiltner
Media: Wood, Clay
Dimensions: 5x5x3.5"
David Hiltner is currently the Executive Director of Red Lodge Clay Center in Red Lodge, Montana. In the summer of 2005 David and his family moved to Montana to establish the Red Lodge Clay Center. Prior to moving to Red Lodge David was an Assistant Professor of Ceramics at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. Before joining the faculty at Wichita State University in 1999, he taught at Syracuse University, Northwest College, and at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. He received his B.F.A in Ceramics from Wichita State University in 1993 and completed his M.F.A at Syracuse University in 1997.
"Tasseomancy" - Potsketch by Maggy Rozycki Hiltner
Media: hand-stitched Cotton and found embroidery
Maggy Rozycki Hiltner is a full-time studio artist and activist living in Red Lodge, MT. She comes from a family of makers: her mother and grandmother's needlepointed pillows, made quilts, and stitched or knitted their clothes and toys; her father built odd things and cooked outrageous meals and painted murals in their home. Hiltner searches antique shops, thrift stores and yard sales for embroidered linens, collecting the brightly colored flowers, foliage, and animals that appear in her work. What she cannot find she hand-stitches and mixes in with the collected embroidery. She uses the familiarity of the stitch along with seemingly lighthearted and cheerful designs to convey more serious subject matter. She often uses humor and Dick and Jane-style characters to tell her stories, and very rarely is everything quite what it seems.
"Not Quite a Bingo" - Potsketch by Tessa Hoenig
Media: Paper, fabric, plastic
Dimensions: 6.5x5.5"
Tessa Hoenig is a ceramic sculptor and illustrator interested in creating objects that feel abundant, textural, and overwhelming, physical dreamscapes of her overactive imagination. Originally from Fort Collins, Colorado, Tessa obtained her Bachelor's of Fine Arts in Pottery in 2020 from Colorado State University. After graduating, she moved to Missoula, Montana, working for two years as a Post-Baccalaureate student at The University of Montana. She is currently a long term resident at the Clay Studio of Missoula.
"The collector" - Potsketch by Erin E. Johnson
Media: paint and marker
Erin "EJ" Johnson is a local multimedia artist, illustrator and graphic designer. She is a graduate of the University of Montana with a degree in Visual arts and minor in Native American Studies. She appreciates and values all art and is continually driven to help support and facilitate art in the Missoula community through volunteer work with the Clay Studio of Missoula and the ZACC.
"My cardinal and me" - Potsketch by Sarah Justice
Media: Watercolor and ink
Sarah Justice is currently the Executive Director of Education at the Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art in Great Falls, Montana. Alongside being the director Justice leads artistic workshops, teaches figure drawing and figurative sculpture, as well as maintains a thriving studio practice and exhibition record. Justice's work has been in multiple publications, received substantial grants based on artistic merit, and has won numerous artistic awards. She earned her Masters of Fine Art, from the University of Montana, in the Spring of 2017.
"Assemble your own potato pot" - Potsketch by Karlene Jean Kantner
Media: Colored pencil, Magnetic sheet, galvanized steel
Karlene Jean Kantner is a ceramic artist and a pupil of the Garden. Her work celebrates the expanding relationship between her body and the landscape. She holds a Bachelors of Fine Art in Ceramics from the University of Montana where she received honors for community arts engagement and teaching. She moved east to make work and teach classes at the Flower City Arts Center in Rochester NY as an artist in residence. Firing in both an electric kiln and a woodfired open pit, her work ranges in size and integrates plants with deep sentimentality. Her work is in the permanent collection of the Montana Museum of Art and Culture and has most recently shown in a solo exhibition at the Berkshire Botanical Gardens. She now has a collection of work available at Reside in Cambridge Massachusetts. Currently, Karlene lives and works at Bark Mill Pond in the Berkshires where she continues her research in a land and garden based ceramic practice.
"Once the Smoke Clears" - Potsketch by Barb Schwarz Karst
Media: Enamel and acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 11.25x11.25x 1.5"
Barb Schwarz Karst is a contemporary painter who is best known for her series, Montana Rust Belt, which focuses on abstract close ups of machines used centuries ago during the country's early labor development. Her other bodies of work include her Stark Unreality Abstract Expression series, Crucible portraits on casted aluminum, and Shifting Winds blind grid Western genre portraits. She has twice received a fellowship and mentorship through The Art Institute of Chicago and holds MIS and BS degrees in Art/Art Education. She shows annually in New York City and her works have been featured in worldwide exhibitions and publications.
Barb Schwarz Karst is the owner and founder of Schwarz karst Studio- a contemporary art studio located in Missoula, Montana. Her innovative conception of the blind grid process and unique ability to blend traditional materials with unconventional media brings a flare of contemporary freshness to the global art community. Barb's expression of deeply personal subjects through her paintings acts as the catalyst for her historically powerful portraits and contemporary abstract paintings. Barb has acquired numerous accolades, publications, and extensive professional training; and her professional works have been featured in exhibitions, museums, print publications and private collections around the globe.
"Kirby" - Potsketch by Hannah Kautto
Dimensions 6x5x2"
Hannah Kautto was born and raised in Rochester, Minnesota. She received an Associate in Fine Arts from Rochester Community and Technical College in 2015. After graduation, she moved to Minneapolis, MN, where she spent two years working in a ceramic production studio. In 2018, she uprooted and moved to Missoula, MT, where she currently lives. This past summer, Hannah was a resident at the Clay Studio of Missoula. Hannah is pursuing her BFA In ceramics at the University of Montana and is the current president of the UM Clay Guild. Hannah will graduate with a BFA in ceramics in the spring of 2024.
"Subtle Fissure" - Potsketch by Alex Kraft
Media:Screenprinted underglaze, glaze, Stoneware, porcelain slip, inlay
Dimensions 5x5"
Alex Kraft earned her BFA, Based at Northern Arizona University and MFA at the University of Montana. Artist residencies include short-term: Archie Bray Foundation; Clay Studio of Missoula; Pentaculum/Arrowmont; Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts; Red Lodge Clay Center (x3); Guldagergaard International Ceramic Research Center; Jingdezhen Tioxichuan International Studio; and long-term: Arrowmont; Roswell Artist in Residence Program. Among other endeavors, experience writing and curating include the large-scale NCECA exhibitions and social media project 50 Women: A Celebration of Women's Contribution to Ceramics; Nasty Women/Artaxis; and Critical Function: 4 Critics/40 Artists(x2). As Associate Professor she oversees the ceramics program at the University of North Georgia-Dahlonega.
"Rosehip Study #3 20204" - Potsketch by Kathryn Kress
Media: Mixed
Kathryn Kress is a 4th generation Montanan. She graduated from the University of Montana in 1971 with a BFA in drawing and printmaking.
Kathryn has made a career as a studio artist since the late 1970's. She has made a living as a design consultant for residential and commercial interiors and exteriors for 30 years.
Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is represented in private and public collections throughout the western United States.
"Channels" - Potsketch by Steven Krutek
Media: Charcoal
Steven Krutek studied art at Colorado College, the University of Montana (MFA), SALT Institute for Documentary Field Studies, and with photographer Stuart Klipper.
Steven teaches drawing, two-dimensional foundations, photography, painting, art history, art education, and a course for the Wilderness and Civilization program at the University of Montana. He has also taught elementary and secondary students in various capacities since 1997.
Steven has exhibited work throughout the Inland Northwest and internationally. His work has recently been published on the cover and within The Sun Magazine. Through his current work, Steven seeks to reconcile art's inherently wasteful creative processes with art's ability to communicate environmental awareness.
When he isn't teaching, making art, or spending time with his family, Steven performs Balinese music with the Missoula-based community gamelan, Manik Harum.
"I give in" - Potsketch by Ladypajama
Media: Drawing
Ladypajama is an artist, writer, lover of life. She is a self-taught artist who believes that the act of creating is more important than the products produced from creating. Using art to grow, emote, and meditate are essential in her life. Ladypajama publishes a monthly zine that she sends out via the mail. She likes to think of this zine as a memoir in real time. She is also an avid journaler and is constantly making art. When asked what kind of art she makes she usually responds, "flat art." She mostly creates two-dimensional art. Mixing paint, pencils, pens, and collage materials, she often builds scenes with awkward looking people and mutated animals. Always interesting and always changing, Ladypajama's art hopes to inspire and interest all who view it.
Potsketch by Elena Lourenco
Media: Wood, paper, paint, porcelain
Dimensions: 5.75x6x2"
Elena Lourenco received her MFA in Sculpture from Arizona State University in 2007. As a graduate student, she received a travel scholarship to study the physical and spiritual connection between people and the landscape along the Ganges River in India, which had a profound effect on her work. As a post-graduate student, she studied abroad at Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland. Lourenco creates mixed media objects and installations that communicate powerful narratives about both society and self- utilizing metaphor to communicate ideas of causality, change, loss and their resulting effects on the human psyche. Her work has been presented in solo and group exhibitions across the US and Internationally including Scotland, Latvia, and Italy. Lourenco has taught all levels of Sculpture since 2008, and currently lives and works in southern California where she teaches in the Division of Fine and Performing Arts at Santa Ana College.
"Broken Synergy" - Potsketch by Katie S. Machain
Media: Linocut reduction, torn and sewn back together
Katie Machain is a Missoula based artist who works primarily in woodcut printmaking. She received her BFA from The University of Montana in 2013 and has continued to develop her artistic ability as a professional picture framer for the Art Attic Framing and Design. Katie is married with two children and enjoys spending time with them outdoors where she feels the most inspired. For more information, visit her website at www.katiemachain.com
"Gill bearing animal that lacks limbs with digits" - Potsketch by Max Mahn
Media: Graphite on paper
Max Mahn is an illustrator and printmaker based out of his home town Missoula, MT. After nearly 10 years working exclusively with spray paint, Max shifted gears and created Twin Home Prints, a freelance design and screen printing studio in 2014. While incorporating his years of experience with a spray can into his bold and whimsical illustrations and design, Max began to find his niche in the gig poster world. Following this passion for years to follow, Max has gone to create limited edition prints for some of today's largest national touring bands including Wilco, The Melvins, Trey Anastasio, Primus, and Andrew Bird.
Potsketch by Cathryn Mallory
Media: Hand felted wool, stitching on wood panel
Cathryn Mallory is a Professor and Director of the Gallery of Visual Arts for the School of Visual and Media Arts at the University of Montana-Missoula. She is currently teaching sculpture and professional practices courses. Originally from the Chicago area, she received her BFA in fiber from Northern Illinois University in DeKalb and MFA in sculpture from the University of Oklahoma in Norman. Her work has been exhibited in numerous exhibitions on a regional and national level and is featured in the permanent collections of several major museums in Montana, South Dakota, and Nevada. Mallory also serves on the board of directors for the Clay Studio of Missoula.
"Golden hour glow" - Potsketch by Kayla McCormick
Media: encaustic photo, shadow box
Dimensions: 6x6"
(contains an internal light element and can be displayed with the light on or off)
Kayla McCormick (she/her) is a self-taught photographer and designer from Missoula, MT. Her work attempts to capture how the balance of light and matter plays such an important role in our memories. After her images are processed and printed they are then saturated in beeswax as a way to protect and preserve the memories and emotions in a more tangible way. The blurred imagery is intentional. Oftentimes the blurred lines and melting colors can leave clues and tell stories better than words can - transporting our visual senses to unforgettable moments in time.
"Only a promise of happiness" - Potsketch by Jack Metcalf
Media: Hand drawing
Jack Metcalf spent his youth in the swamps of the southeast smearing the line of where illusion ends and reality begins. His creations emulate a diary of sorts. The work balances draftsman precision with an ambiguous blather of imagination, insight, and delight. Metcalf studied architecture at Savannah College of Art and Design, printmaking at East Carolina University, and earned his MFA at UM. Metcalf's work has been exhibited locally and nationally. He is currently active within the Missoula art community and runs Real ODD Good JOB.
"Georgetown Sunset" - Potsketch by Claire Dawn Meyer
Media: Acrylic on canvas board
Claire Dawn Meyer was brought up in small town Livingston, MT where she wasblessed to grow up with a loving and artistic family. Since she could walk, Claire hasbeen taking art classes with her beloved grandmother and traditional impressionistpainter, Mary Ann Meyer. Her grandmother's formal education helped develop skillsthat Claire has used throughout her artistic years. Her work has always been inspiredby the beauty in nature, the bond between color and emotion and the nuances inday-to-day life. Meyer has been a painter her whole life, and more recently has becomean installation enthusiast. During the formative college years at the University ofMontana, Meyer began experimenting with self-made fabric dyes, soft sculptures aswell as large paper installations. Her need to experiment and use non-traditionalmaterials created a totally new way of working. Her current studies brought her toexplore the combination of her traditional knowledge base with the energy andinterest of new materials to create a cohesive collection.
Potsketch by Ron Meyers
Media: Ink on paper
Ron Meyers holds a 1967 M.F.A. degree in ceramics from the School for American Craftsmen, Rochester Institute of Technology, and B.S. (1956) and M.S. (1961) degrees in art education from State University of New York College at Buffalo. He taught at the University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC from 1967-1972. He then spent the next 20 years teaching at the University of Georgia in Athens where he retired as Professor Emeritus.
Ron has an extensive history of professional activities within the ceramics community. He has presented numerous workshops and demonstrations in the United States and abroad, most recently at the Lill Street Studio in Chicago, Il, Arrowmont School of Crafts, the Huntington Museum of Art, University of Arkansas at Little Rock and the Curaumilla Clay Studio in Chile.
He was the recipient of the National Council for the Education of Ceramic Arts Excellence in Teaching Award and the Northern Clay Center's 2008 Regis Masters Award which honors senior artists who have had a major impact on the development of 20th and 21st ceramics in the United States.
"Green Tunnel" - Potsketch by David Miles Lusk
Media: Linocut relief print, colored pencil
David Miles Lusk is an artist living and working out of Missoula, Montana. David received his Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in printmaking from the University of Montana in 2014. He is inspired by the intersection of science and mythology, nature and humanity.
"Mask" - Potsketch by Priscilla Mouritzen
Media: linocut
Priscilla Mouritzen was born in Cape Town, South Africa. She studied at the School of Art,
Durban, South Africa. In 1979 she moved to Denmark where she serves on the board of
directors for Guldagergaard, International Ceramic Research Center, and maintains a studio north of Copenhagen. Priscilla's work has been shown at the Museum of Anthropology, Xalapa, Mexico, 20+1 Tozan Kilns, Arizona Presenters Exhibition, and The Clay Studio of Missoula, where she had a solo exhibition in 2006. Most of Priscilla's work is pinched in porcelain clay and wood fired. The scale is intimate, as demanded by the pinching process. The works show a use of pattern that echoes memories of her childhood in Africa.
Potsketch by Courtney Murphy
Media: Gouache
Courtney Murphy began working in clay while living in Brooklyn, NY. After several years of
working for potters around the city, she moved to Portland, OR and received a post-baccalaureate in ceramics from the Oregon College of Art and Craft. Courtney moved to Montana in the summer of 2009 for a ceramic residency at the Archie Bray Foundation. She was a resident at the Clay Studio of Missoula from 2012-2014, and currently serves on the board of directors.
"Together" - Potsketch by Janina Myronowa
Media: paper, ink. hand painting
Janina Myronowa creates narrative through figurative forms and composed backdrops. Utilizing a specific and distorted representation of the body, each composition shows a different personality and personal story to collectively reference a graphic novel and arcing story. Imparting her own emotion through line work, Myronowa's works are strategically charged with color to saturate and amplify their individual stories.
Janina received her MFA from the Department of Ceramic Art at Lviv National Academy of Fine Arts (Lviv, Ukraine) in 2012, an MFA from the Department of Ceramics and Glass at The Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Arts and Design (Wroclaw, Poland) in 2013, and her PhD from the Department of Ceramics and Glass at Eugeniusz Geppert Academy of Fine Arts in 2019. Continually developing her work and practice, Myronowa has attended numerous residencies including opportunities at the New Taipei Yingge Ceramics Museum (New Taipei, Taiwan), Clayarch Gimhae Musem (Gimhae-si, Gyeongsangnam-do, South Korea), Lefebvre and Fils (Paris, France), the Polish Sculpture Centre (Oronsko, Poland), and the International Ceramic Research Center (Guldagergaard, Denmark), International Ceramic Studio (Kecskemet, Hungary), Northern Clay Center. She is currently a resident artist at the Archie Bray Foundation.
"Greg the guineafowl" - Potsketch by Stella Nall
Media: Acrylic, thread
Stella Nall is a Montana based multimedia artist and poet. She is a First Descendant of the Crow Tribe, and is involved in the community of Missoula as a member of the WMCI Indigenous Art Advisory Committee, by playing in the local band Cry Baby, and by frequently sharing her work through exhibitions, publications, murals, and interactive installations which invite participation. She is currently an exhibiting artist with the Art Mobile of Montana, and her work lives in numerous public and private collections, including The Montana Museum of Art and Culture, The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, and The IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts.
"You'd Be So Pretty If You's Smile" - Potsketch by Kayla Noble
Media: pen and ink on paper
Kayla Noble is a woodfire artist born and raised in New York's Hudson Valley. She holds a BFA in ceramics from the State University of New York at New Paltz, completed a long term artist residency at Taos Clay (Taos. NM), and has taught and given workshops at numerous community studios in New York State. Noble's practice is rooted in functional pottery; she crafts vessels in conversation with communal action, rituals of food cultivation, and the relationship of service and containment. She owes much of her exposure to clay and reverence for craftsmanship to her grandfather, Brad Benn, a practicing potter and harpsichord builder. Kayla is currently the wood fire resident artist at The Clay Studio of Missoula.
"Toddler tea party" - Potsketch by Lauren Norby
Media: crayon
Lauren Norby is an artist based in Missoula. He was raised in a remote cabin in the woods on a diet of comic books, alt weeklies and old movies. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The University of Montana, and earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from The University of California, Santa Barbara. Lauren makes zines, comics, stories and music. In his free time, he works in film and television production, and serves on the board of directors of the Zootown Arts Community Center.
"Trophy" - Potsketch by Matthew O'Reilly
Media: Soda and raku fired Clay, Colored Shigaraki, Epoxy and wood
Dimensions: 5" x 5" x 4"
Matthew O'Reilly is a Canadian emerging artist interested in the complexity of a person, catalyzing conversation, and figurative ceramics. He completed his MFA at the Alberta University for the Arts where he advanced a visual vocabulary wielding the grotesque and satire in tandem with public stautary. Following his formal education, Matthew was a year-long artist in residence at the Medalta Clay Center in Medicine Hat, Alberta, where he developed new bodies of work investigating the tension between individuals and collectives. Matthew has been the recipient of notable awards, including the First Place NCECA Graduate Award of Excellence (2021 NCECA Juried Student Exhibition), and most recently, the 2022 Winifred Shantz Award for emerging ceramic artists in Canada. Matthew is currently a long-term resident artist at The Clay Studio of Missoula.
Potsketch by Grace Orwen
Media: Ink and acrylic paint on paper
Grace Orwen is a ceramic artist from a small community in Nebraska. In 2021, she received her BFA with an emphasis in ceramics and painting from the University of Nebraska- Lincoln. Since then, she worked as an instructor at the Lux Center for the Arts and completed a year-long residency at the Iowa Ceramics Center and Glass Studio. Her work heavily focuses on surface decoration and illustration. In part a collaged autobiography, it explores the humor in shared cultural values, differences, and struggles. Grace is currently a long-term resident artist at The Clay Studio of Missoula.
"San Rafael Valley, AZ" - Potsketch By Kathleen Herlithy Paoli
Media: Digital photos on archival paper with Embroidery thread and beads
Dimensions:5x5 Framed:8x8
Kathleen Herlihy-Paoli (b.1956, grew up in Westport, CT) lives and works in Missoula, MT. She earned her BFA from Skidmore College. She is a member of White Columns curated artist's registry in NYC.
She will have a solo show at the Taube Museum in Minot, ND in August of 2024. In September of '23 she had an installation of paintings exhibited on Governors Island in NYC entitled, You Are Here, sponsored by Marinaro Gallery and Brackett Creek Exhibitions. She had a solo show, Intermission, at Marinaro Gallery in NYC in 2022. She is a member of White Columns curated artist's registry in NYC. Her solo exhibition entitled Act Three traveled from 2018-2022 from the Missoula Art Museum, Missoula, MT; to The Emerson, Bozeman, MT; Paris Gibson Square Museum in Great Falls, MT; Holter Museum of Art, Helena, MT; and MonDak Heritage Center, Sidney, MT. In 2019 she had a solo show at the Jackson Hole Center for the Arts in Wyoming. Her work has been included in juried group shows in New York, NY, Boston, Philadelphia, Portland, OR, Bozeman and Missoula. She shows annually in Missoula at Gallery 709 with a group of seven artists collectively known as the Salt Mine Group.
Potsketch by Jerod Peitsmeyer
Jerod Peitsmeyer is both a working studio artist, having recently created and designed product labels and an album cover, as well as an art historian and student of contemporary visual culture and community. His pursuits revolve around creating and expanding access to art by re-imagining and reconstructing institutional paradigms. Jerod recently received an MA in Art with a concentration in Art History from University of Montana.
"Calypso Bulbosa" - Potsketch by Jazmine Penelope Raymond
Media: Missoula clay, vintage fabric
Dimensions: 5x8"
Jazmine has a BA in visual art from Bennington College (2008) and a BS in Ecology and Organismal Biology from the University of Montana (2023). She is a multidisciplinary artist with a specialty in biological illustration and an interest in the traces of the intimate in human history and the earthly interweavings of humanity and nature. She lives in Missoula, Montana with her partner Lee Stuurmans, their two cats, a garden, too many houseplants, and a soon-to-be human child.
Potsketch by Bob Phinney
Media: Monoprint/ acrylic, watercolor
Dimensioons: 5x5"
Bob Phinney is a Montana native. He was born in Lewistown and grew up in Helena. He received his B.A. from Montana State University with studies at the University of Washington. He taught drawing and design for several years at the University of Montana and presently teaches adults at Missoula Public Schools' Lifelong Learning Center. Bob also teaches privately and has co- taught a popular plein-air workshop with Seattle artist Catherine Gill each year. Along with his painting buddy Darrell Anderson, Bob has published a book on his process of sketching and working outdoors entitled "The Simple Sketch."
"Bray Day" - Potsketch by Josh Quick
Media: Paint
Josh Quick is a native Montanan, illustrator/author of "Montana Quick Facts" and "Yellowstone Quick Facts", drawer of many regional things and graduate of the Art Institute of Seattle. His family moved to Montana in the 70s and built a cabin in the woods leaving young Josh with ample time to fill up sketchbook pages with transformers and dinosaurs which has continued into adulthood minus the rustic drawing space. Josh currently lives and works in Missoula.
"La Calavera Loteria Card- Oaxacan Influenced" - Potsketch by Krissy Ramirez
Media: Watercolor, sharpie, pen on paper
Born and raised in the border town of Douglas, AZ, Krissy discovered her enthusiasm for clay at Cochise College. Furthering her education, she received a BFA with an emphasis in ceramics from Western New Mexico University in 2017. Then, after completing a 2 year artist in residence program at WNMU she moved to Montana without visiting the big sky. During her time in Missoula she has been part of; the post-baccalaureate program at the University of Montana, co-founded and was a resident artist at Wildfire Ceramic Studio and is currently a long term resident artist at the Clay Studio of Missoula.
Potsketch by Alison Reintjes
Media: Watercolor, pencil
Alison Reintjes first moved to Montana in 2001 for a residency at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena. She has completed additional residencies at Greenwich House Pottery in New York,
Jentel in Wyoming, Mount St. Francis in southern Indiana, and the Clay Studio of Missoula. She has exhibited at the Oregon College of Arts & Crafts, AKAR Gallery, Museu de Ceràmica de l'Alcora in Spain, ASU Ceramic Research Center, Lill Street Art Center and the Northern Clay Center.
"Brutalist Potsketch" - potsketch by Brandon Reintjes
Media: Mixed Media
Dimensions: 5.5x5.5"
Brandon Reintjes has concentrated most aspects of his life on creating art and celebrating art made by others. Though he works as Senior Curator at the Missoula Art Museum, he maintains a regular studio practice. He received his undergraduate degree in painting and drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and his MA in curatorial and critical studies from the University of Louisville.
"Beaver stick" - Potsketch by Karl Schwiesow
Media: Wood
Diimensions: 5x5x2"
Karl Schwiesow is an interdisciplinary artist who works in a variety of media. He has a background in carpentry and furniture design, sculpture, ceramics, a variety of 2-dimensional media, including photography. He holds a Bachelors Degree in Fine Art from Sierra Nevada College and a Masters of Fine Art from the University Of Montana. He has been an artist in residence at a variety of prestigious ceramic artist residencies including the Red Lodge Clay Center, Sonoma Community Center, and the Archie Bray Foundation. Karl is teaching a variety of fine art classes at the University of Montana.
"Hidden Bakery" - Potsketch by Kelly Seitz
Media: ink, colored pencil, and acrylic paint on paper.
Dimensions: 5x5" and 4.5"x4"
Kelly Seitz is an artist and educator working in Missoula Montana, and the Education and Outreach Coordinator at the Clay Studio of Missoula. Kelly received a BFA in Ceramics and licensure to teach from the University of Montana in 2019. It is her passion to make art accessible to everyone. Having grown up in a low income family and a part of the LGBT+ community, she especially strives for young people from struggling communities to have the chance to express themselves and explore their identities through the arts. In her work, Kelly loves to toy with visual storytelling and highly detailed imagery. There's always more than meets the eye at first glance.
Potsketch by Richard Shaw
Media: Pencil and pen on paper
Richard Shaw was educated at the San Francisco Art Institute where he received his BFA in 1965. He completed his MFA at the University of California at Davis in 1968. He began teaching at the San Francisco Art institute in 1966 where he taught for twenty years. He recently retired from teaching at the University of California at Berkeley where he taught ceramics and drawing. One of two National Endowments Grants allowed him to explore a photo silkscreen method of reproducing decals and allowed him to work with a professional silkscreen artist, perfecting ceramic transfers. Richard has been a resident artist at Shigaraki Cultural Ceramic Park in Japan, the Manufacture National de Sevres in Paris, the Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts in Maine, and the Peter Voulkos Fellowship at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana. He was elected as a fellow of the American Crafts Council in 1998, Honorary Member of NCECA (the National Council of Education in Ceramic Arts) in 2010 and Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts Legends Award 2011. His work is collected in both private and public collections nationally and internationally. Public collections include the Whitney Museum of American Art, The San Francisco Museum of Art, The Taipai Museum of Modern Art, The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto, the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and the Victoria Albert Museum.
"Quilt for Delia" - Potsketch by Kelli Sinner
Media: Handmade paper
Kelli Sinner received an MFA in Ceramics from Penn State University and a BFA in Ceramics from Utah State University. Before moving to Montana, Kelli was a Professor of Art at Minnesota State University Moorhead, teaching ceramics, papermaking, exhibitions, and design.
Kelli has completed artist residencies at the Zentrum fur Keramik, Berlin, Germany; Penland School of Craft, Penland, North Carolina; Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, Montana; and The Clay Studio of Missoula, Missoula, MT.
Potsketch by David Scott Smith
Media: Ceramic
Dimensions: 4x3x5"
David Scott Smith is originally from Spokane, WA. He has lived for extended periods of time in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Louisiana. He received his MFA from Louisiana State University and worked for several years at Southern Louisiana University and Flathead Valley Community College teaching ceramics and 3-D design. He currently is an Assistant Professor of Ceramics Salisbury University, Salisbury, MD. David has been featured numerous times in Ceramics Monthly magazine, including the article David Scott Smith: A Bricolage of Light.
"Hotdogger" - Potsketch by Kevin Snipes
Media: Gauche, ink
Kevin Snipes is an American artist born in Philadelphia and raised in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned a BFA in ceramics and drawing from the Cleveland Institute of Art in 1994 and concluded graduate studies at the University of Florida in 2003. He works primarily in ceramics, blurring the boundary between craft and art. Snipes combines techniques of narrative figure drawing, text, and hand-formed porcelain constructions to create objects that can be seen as multi-layered paintings.
Kevin has participated in many artist residency programs, often maintaining an itinerant existence. Through both national and international residencies including The Clay Studio (PA), Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts, New Castle, Maine, and Wesleyan College in Georgia, he has allowed a sense of place to augment his sense of identity and contribute to the dialogue of his work. He has exhibited nationally and internationally, including recent solo exhibitions at Konkling Gallery at Minnesota State University, Mankato and Plinth Gallery, Denver.
"The Secret Garden Series: #7" - Potsketch by Heather Stockton
Media:Mixed media collage on found object
A second generation born and raised Missoulian, Heather Shibahn Stockton spent most of her youth being encouraged to explore, learn, and create art in the mountains that surrounded her parents' home. With continued support from her family and friends, Heather earned a BA in Fine Arts, an MFA in Media Arts with an emphasis in Integrated Digital Media, a K-12 State of Montana Teaching License through The University of Montana. She is currently in her 7th year serving as Operations Executive for the Zootown Arts Community Center. Her spare time is spent exploring the nearby mountains and water with her husband Sam, and pups Larry Walker & Peter Forsberg.
"Space Baby?!" - Potsketch by Lee Stuurmans
Media: Clay, Gold luster
Dimensions: 4.5x5x2"
Lee Stuurmans is going to be a dad soon, and you know what that means; it's time to straighten up and fly right, it's time to write a normal artist's statement that's parsable to normal readers. Well, if you ask Lee Stuurmans, which I certainly didn't, he'll be the first to tell you that when you put your mind to it, anything is parsable. I'm told Lee Stuurmans has no regrets and makes no apologies for the previous or any forthcoming dad jokes. In spring 2024 Lee Stuurmans indicated that he believed it was his birthright to subject anyone around him to his noxious observations no matter how thinly stretched the comedic premise. As for me, I'm committed to exploring new avenues as I see my efforts over the last decade have been largely wasted on Lee Stuurmans. It's a strange thing to look back on a wasted decade. You don't start out a decade thinking it'll all be a waste, no one could operate under that assumption. No, you start out like anyone would, full of cautious optimism. Sure you may see red flags right away, but maybe you're just being paranoid. Running into a lot of obstacles? No problem, I mean, hard work and perseverance got you this far right? Right, except one day you look in the mirror and see that hard work and perseverance have cruelly absconded with your youthful bloom and now you're left wondering what the hell happened. I'll tell you what happened, Lee Stuurmans. That's what happened. You'll see.
Potsketch By Monica Thompson
Media: textile collage
Monica Thompson lives and works in Missoula. She studied Fibers and Graphic Design at the University of Michigan and Textiles at the Penland School of Crafts in Penland, NC, where she was awarded the Edwina Bringle Scholarship for a student showing excellence in textiles. She has exhibited in solo and juried group exhibitions throughout Montana and the northwest, including the Paris Gibson Museum of Art, and the Missoula Art Museum annual auction.. Thompson teaches Elementary art in the Missoula County Public Schools.
"Lift" - Potsketch by Patricia Thornton
Media: Monoprint
Patricia Thornton uses art is the instrument through which her ideas, life stories, and
observations take form. She works with a wide range of two-dimensional media, including installation, painting, drawing, printmaking, collage, and photography (depending on the needs of the piece). Her approach to making art is process based, experimental, and playful. Patricia is currently the Zootown Art Center's Adult Program Director & Printshop Manager, and maintains Thornton Studios with her husband Tim.
"Erasure" - Potsketch by Shalene Valenzuela
Media: Cone 6 porcelain, elements mounted in floating box
Dimensions: 8x8x1.5" in frame
Shalene Valenzuela was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California. She received a BA in Art Practice at the University of California at Berkeley and an MFA in Ceramics from California College of Arts and Crafts. She has participated in artist residencies at the Archie Bray Foundation, The Clay Studio of Missoula, Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, and the LH Project and has taught at Flathead Valley Community College, University of Montana, Oregon College of Art and Craft, and various art centers in Montana and California. Shalene has been a guest artist and speaker at several art centers, colleges, and universities and her work has been featured in many group and solo exhibitions nationally and internationally. She currently serves as the executive director at the Clay Studio of Missoula. Shalene is the recipient of the Artist's Innovation Award in Ceramics (2013) and an ARPA Grant (2021) from the Montana Arts Council.
"Bali" - Potsketch by Patti Warashina
Media: Pencil, ink
Patti Warashina was born in Spokane, Washington. She went to college in Seattle, and received her BFA, and later her MFA from the University of Washington. While in college, she studied with sculptors Robert Sperry, Harold Myers, Rudy Autio, Shoji and Shinsaku Hamada, and Ruth Penington. Her first solo exhibition was in 1962 at the Phoenix Art Gallery. Warashina later married fellow student Fred Bauer, and from 1964 to 1970, exhibited as Patti Bauer. Warashina's work is best known for satire, humor, and dream-state figures, expressed through low fire polychrome ceramic material. She has received numerous awards for her achievements. Together with fellow artists Robert Sperry, Howard Kotler, and Fred Bauer, Warashina helped to bring national recognition to the department of ceramics at the University of Washington's School of Art in the late 1970's.
"Missoula Valley" - Potsketch by Teresa Garland Warner
Media: Oil
After balancing a medical practice and painting for 30 years, Teresa turned to art full time in 2009. Based in Missoula, she has shown locally in Cassens, Dana Gallery, Radius Gallery, 4Ravens, Gallery 709, and Paws Up. Statewide, she has exhibited at the Missoula Art Museum, Yellowstone Art Museum, and the Emerson Center for the Arts and Culture, where she was invited to participate in the exhibition Montana Women in the Visual Arts, 1860-2011. Nationally she juried into Salon International, National Oil and Acrylic Painters' Society 2018, 2019, 2021; Oil Painters of America 2020 Western Regional Exhibition, American Artists Professional League 92nd Grand National Exhibition 2020 at Salmagundi Club in New York City, and Brinton 101 at The Brinton Museum, Big Horn, WY in 2022.
Potsketch by Kurt Weiser
Kurt Weiser was born in Lansing Michigan. He studied ceramics under Ken Ferguson at the Kansas City Art Institute from 1972-76 and then completed an MFA at the University of Michigan. In 1988, after a stint as Director of the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, MT, Weiser started teaching ceramics at Arizona State University, where he has held the position of Regents' Professor of Art since 2000. His work has been acquired by many institutions around the world, including the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American Art, the National Museum of History in Taiwan, the Museum of Contemporary Ceramic Art and Institute of Ceramics, Shigaraki, Japan, the Los Angeles County Art Museum, and the Carnegie Mellon University.
"Hi, I like you." - Potsketch by Adelheid West
Media: colored paper, glue, marker, colored pencil
??Adelheid West found home in Missoula's Northside neighborhood in 2009 after a long drive from Stillwater, Oklahoma. She raises food and a family, and turns pots at the Clay Studio of Missoula. Heidi recently held elected office as Ward 1 City Council Representative. Heidi has BAs in Political Science and Studio Art with minors in German and Horticulture as well as a MS in Plant and Soil Science, all from Oklahoma State University.
"Butterfly" - Potsketch by Janet Whaley
Dimensions: 5x4.5x1"
Janet Whaley's images on her hand-painted porcelain works depict personal and traditional mythologies - both the realms of the imagined and not imagined. She explores the subjects of aging, birth and rebirth, and relationships, blending her own personal experiences with myths and fairy tales and images from nature. Born in Idaho and raised in Missoula, Janet started her art studies at the University of Montana in 1966. After a time, she switched gears and began a twenty-six-year career in nursing. During this time, she continued her art studies and finished her MFA in ceramics from the University of Montana in 1996. She now maintains her studio practice in her Missoula home.
"America, i have some advice..." - Potsketch by R David Wilson
Media: embroidery, punchneedle, linen, tencel, cotton floss, glass beadwork
R David Wilson was born and raised in the Flathead Valley. Since early childhood he has been making art and continues to expand his passion in several mediums. Primarily a self-taught artist, David's artistic vision has been greatly affected by years spent in Latin America. His Impressionist oeuvre is divided between works that document the Missoula topography and motifs that draw from Mexico, Central, and South America. Scenes are generally punctuated with vivid color and characteristic impasto texture. He is represented in several Montana galleries and has often been part of invitational shows in the Pacific Northwest as well as in central Mexico. His works are mostly in the hands of private collectors in the U.S., Mexico, and Europe.
Montucky Lager Potsketch by Kristyn Wright
Media: Watercolor, ink, varnish
Kirstyn is a contemporary western and wildlife artist focusing on the ethos of specifically working-class Texans and the region's native flora and fauna. Her art uses color, texture, symbolism, and allegory to capture the attitude of the wild animals and people that inhabit this sometimes inhospitable land.
Kirstyn grew up in Paradise, Texas. A one-red-light town on the Trinity River about an hour northwest of Fort Worth. She earned a BFA in sculpture in 2012 from Abilene Christian University but has since focused on 2D surfaces to tell the story of the country life around her. She has also taught Art at every level in rural public schools for 10 years.
Kirstyn recently started an MFA program with Texas Tech University in Lubbock to focus on painting, arts administration, and advocacy.
Oro y Plata Boots Potsketch by Kristyn Wright
Potsketch by William Wright
Media: Pen, sharpie, watercolor paper
William Wright's art practice is all about the clay. He primarily focuses on cone 10 wood and salt atmospheric firing, as well as mid-range terra cotta and stoneware. Will grew up in a rural town outside Abilene, and went to Hardin Simmons University where he started out as a graphic design major. After taking a ceramics class with professor, Brandon Phillips, he got the "mud bug" and hasn't looked back. He graduated with a BFA in Ceramics in 2012, and then earned his MFA in Ceramics in 2015 from the University of North Texas.
He has taught a range of art subjects including ceramics, sculpture, and drawing at UNT, NCTC, and Weatherford College, in addition to teaching at the high school level. Will was a short term resident artist at The Clay Studio of Missoula in June 2023.
Potsketch by Kensuke Yamada
Media: Pencil on embossed paper
Kensuke Yamada was born in Japan and came to the US to attend Evergreen State College in Olympia, WA where he received his BA. He went on to earn his MFA at the University of Montana, and has been a resident artist at the Archie Bray Foundation and The Clay Studio in Philadelphia. Yamada has taught ceramics and sculpture-making at Temple University, Centre College in Danville, KY, and elsewhere. He is currently an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas Little Rock. His work has appeared in dozens of group and solo exhibitions across the US.
Crista Ann Ames Hand VaseCone 6 stoneware with oxide wash, 12 x 5 x 5"
Crista Ann Ames is a studio artist and teaching artist living in Ellensburg, Washington. Raised on a small hobby farm, she often draws on her own experiences to explore pastoral life, animal husbandry, women's craft and fertility.
Crista received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics with a minor in Art History and Disability Studies from Washington State University. She went on to attend Utah State University for Post Baccalaureate studies in Ceramics. While receiving her Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Montana she began studying dance and movement to help inform the way she sculpts the figure.
Sara CatapanoPour OverPorcelaIn, hand built, cone 6 glaze, luster, 5 x 6 x 6"
Sara Catapano employs the use of forms, textures, and compositions found in nature as design elements in her ceramic sculptures to juxtapose against architectural components that exist in materials reminiscent of industry. She fuses an abstracted reference to plants, bacteria, and geological systems with patterns of growth, decay, degradation, erosion, and gestation to create a biomorphic ingredient which both confronts and reacts to the minimal and formalistic component.
Sara was born in St. Louis, Missouri. She attended UNC - Wilmington for two years before transferring to UNC - Charlotte where she graduated with a BFA in Fine Art, Ceramics in 2012. She received her MFA in Ceramics from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 2018. Sara was a resident at Studio 740 (Helena, MT) before arriving as a long-term resident at The Clay Studio of Missoula in Fall 2020. She recently founded "Speakeasy Studios" and works in Missoula, MT.
Austin CoudrietCandlestick HolderStoneware, underglaze, glaze, 5 x 3.5 x 3.5"
Austin was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska. In 2019 he earned his BFA with a dual emphasis in sculpture and ceramics from the University of Nebraska- Lincoln. There he focused on fabricating large ceramic sculptures and expanding his skills in the wood shop. Austin most recently was a long-term resident at the Clay Art Center in Port Chester, NY (2019-2021). During the start of the global pandemic, Austin moved back to Nebraska for six months, where he held a fellowship position at the LUX Center for the Arts. In 2019, Austin founded a ceramic collective group called Mud Ties and currently leads both the Social Outreach and the Social Media team. Austin was a long term resident at the Clay Studio of Missoula from 2021-23 and is currently a resident artist at the Archie Bray Foundation.
Alexandria CrowBe Here NowStoneware, cone 10, electric, porcelain, slip, 8 x 7.5 x 5.5"
Alexandria attended The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington studying oceanography, art, sustainability, and food politics. After a semester focusing on the earth, biology and how our current food system is damaging the planet she took a permaculture course that changed her perspective of what is important in her life. With this newfound knowledge she left school and moved to Mt. Shasta, CA and began working and traveling to different farms both in the U.S. and Central America. After 4 years of working on farms and traveling she found her way back to her hometown Boise, Idaho where she got back into pottery in 2018.
Narwhal and Crow is an inspiration from her journeys through cultures abroad, internal growth and the way art has become a potent form of self regulation, as well as Narwhal, her friendly tuxedo cat. These studies continue today and have become a daily practice both in and out of the pottery studio. She is currently living in Missoula, MT.
Rebecca HarveyLittle ManHandbuilt porcelain, underglaze, 2.75 x 3.75"
Rebecca Harvey was born in Columbus, Ohio. Past positions include Professor and Chair, Department of Art at Ohio State University and Professor and Head of Programme Ceramics and Glass at the Royal College of Art in London, UK. She is currently the Executive Director of The Archie Bray. Her work is based in the residue, both physical and intangible, of objects. Project-based sculptural work reflects the implications of place on process and materials, on weight and heft, and the expectations of material. Ceramic work often focuses on both shape and the shape contained, on surfaces that scratch at the air and push against assumptions of domesticity.
Numerous awards include International residencies in countries from Sweden to China, Canada to Italy and Iceland to Germany. She regularly writes about the intertwined histories of the decorative arts, and articles featuring her work have appeared in Studio Potter and American Craft.
Andrea MoonLonely TogetherGlazed stoneware, 11 x 9 x 9.5"
Andrea Moon grew up in Northwest Ohio, near Lake Erie. In high school, she began making in clay at Packer Creek Pottery, a majolica production company. Directly following, she attended Bowling Green State University for Ceramics receiving her BFA in Three Dimensional Studies in 2002. Moving forward, I completed her MFA in Ceramics and a Secondary in Sculpture at Texas Tech University in 2009.
Andrea has been a Visiting Assistant Professor of Ceramics and Sculpture at Texas A&M International University. She has been an Artist-In-Residence at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in 2010-11, and as a Red Lodge Clay Center Resident Artist for 2011-12. She served as the Residency and Communications Coordinator of the Red Lodge Clay Center from 2012-16. She presently is teaching national workshops, attending national conferences and residencies, as well as showing in national and international exhibitions.
Melissa MylchreestTall VaseStoneware, wood fired, 15 x 4 x 4"
Melissa Mylchreest is a freelance writer, editor and maker based in western Montana.She writes about everything from bluegrass bands to architecture, barn raisings to evolutionary biology, ranch hands to fine artists. She holds a MS in environmental studies as well as a MFA in creative writing, both from the University of Montana, and has taught college-level classes in composition, creative writing, and environmental literature. Her nonfiction has been published widely, and she is also an award-winning poet. She occasionally works as an editor, and especially enjoys collaborating with artists and scientists on their written work: Artist's statements, pedagogy, research findings, etc. When she's not writing she spends her time working as a director of a national journalism nonprofit. And when she's not writing OR working, she likes making functional art - usually out of clay, but not always. She also enjoys cooking, growing food, and spending as much time as possible outdoors with her two-legged and four-legged friends
Kelsey OchsVaseStoneware, false shino, 6 x 3.5 x 3.5
Kelsey Ochs is a ceramic artist, and the owner of Throw Ceramics in Missoula. Her ceramics practice focuses on functional stoneware and porcelain forms intended for everyday use. She has been working with clay in one form or another for over 20 years. Her training as a studio artist and architect informs her work, and she is constantly refining her choices of clay bodies and glazes with functionality and aesthetics in mind.
Mary K PorterVasePorcelain, soda fired, 15 x 5 x 5"
Mary K. Porter is a ceramic artist formerly based in Kansas City MO. She now lives in Missoula, MT and celebrates "the precious ordinary" by making art that is out of the ordinary.
Carla PotterBarnacle VaseThrown and embellished porcelain, 5 x 3.5"
Carla Potter spent most of her life in Alaska. For 15 years she presented workshops in the public school system there. She has been a teacher and presenter in many collaborative projects with institutions such as the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Sheldon Art Museum. In 2005 she started a long-term residency at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena-an experience that inspired her to go on to the University of Nebraska, Lincoln to earn her MFA.
Working from her studio in Helena, Potter uses hand-building techniques primarily with porcelain. Her artwork has taken a dramatic shift from the exuberant colorful sculptures inspired by her Alaskan environment. Her focus now is on making delicate unglazed porcelain vessels and figurines that weave together her own personal narrative and her experiences with nature, Catholicism and the history of European art. Since her time at the Bray she has pursued a national audience and has been part of many exhibitions across the country.
Marnie PrangeDelta Vase - August AfternoonPorcelain, slipcast, 6 x 7 x 4"
Marnie Prange
Ceramics have been a constant in my life since early childhood. My mother, Sally Bowen Prange, maintained a studio in the basement laundry room of my childhood home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where her career as a ceramic artist flourished. She was my earliest teacher and greatest influence.
After receiving a BA in Art with an emphasis in ceramics from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, I pursued graduate degrees in creative writing from Hollins University and the University of Alabama, later teaching at universities across the United States. I returned to ceramics in 2016 after raising two sons in the Bitterroot Valley.
Currently I am a poet, journalist, and functional potter working as a studio artist
Linda M. SperanzaMug with Gold Luster Cone nine reduction, stoneware, non-manganese black glaze, gold luster 3 1/2" H x 4" D X 5" W
Linda Speranza currently teaches ceramics at Mesa Community College and creates functional works with a sculptural aesthetic. This donated work was recently featured as part of the Clay Studio of Missoula's "International Cup" Exhibition, juried by Chris Alveshere.
Chad SteveMugPorcelain and sand, wheel thrown, cone 10 soda fired, 3.5x4.5x3.75"
Chad R. Steve was born and raised in Lake Mills, Wisconsin. He received his BFA from University of Wisconsin-Stout. In 2009 he moved to Hawaii and received his MFA from University of Hawaii at Manoa. While living there, he worked at the University as an adjunct professor and a lab technician. Chad has instructed at a variety of institutions such as Hawaii Potters Guild, Honolulu Art Museum, Montana University, and Western Montana University. Chad has had the honor of being an artist-in-residence at Clay Studio of Missoula and the Armory Art Center. He's currently the Director of Ceramics and Sculpture at the Lighthouse Art Center.
Chad SteveYunomiPorcelain and sand, wheel thrown, cone 10 soda fired, 3.25x3.25x3.25"
Chad SteveCupPorcelain and sand, wheel thrown, cone 10 soda fired, 3.5x3.5x3.75"
Sue TirrellWinter Kiln MugWheel-thrown porcelain with underglaze sgraffito design, 4.5 x 4.5 x 3.5"
Born and raised in Red Lodge, Montana, Sue Tirrell received an AA from Cottey College in Nevada, MO in 1995 and a BFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 1997. Her work draws inspiration from her experiences living in Montana and the West, her fascination with animals and interest in folk art, illustrated fairy tales and vintage kitsch. Sue's work has been exhibited widely in the US, Canada and Australia and she has taught ceramics and multi-media workshops across the country from college classrooms to one-room schoolhouses. Sue lives and works north of Yellowstone National Park, in Montana's Paradise Valley.
I came to clay as a college freshman, intent on studying Graphic Design and was won over by the prospect of activating sculptural and functional objects with narrative surface design. My pots employ mythic animal imagery, crisp design and riotous color to bring playfulness, character and storytelling to daily kitchen rituals and special occasions.
Karen Van GalderOliveSoda fired ceramic, 8 x 5 x 6"
Karen Van Galder
I live and work in Missoula sculpting animals and other beings focusing on atmospheric firings. I have lived in the Bay Area, New York, Toronto, and Tokyo but have never had such an amazing variety of ways to fire my work, create work, meet and interact with such a talented and dedicated group of artists.
The work I've created the past few years highlights my interests in the Northwest wildlife, and native peoples take on earth and wildlife. I strive to capture an evocative expression that will capture the viewer's interest and give insight into the sculptural piece. I am completely invested in telling a story and seek out strength and beauty in an older being and am driven to portray that.
Art plays a huge role in my daily life. I find inspiration in all forms of art from ancient Greek and Asian art, German expressionism, the Bay Area movement, northwest indigenous artists in particular Raven Halfmoon, Rick Bartow, Wally Dion. People and animals' faces and gestures give me inspiration to create my sculptures. Going to galleries and museums is what I enjoy almost as much as creating art.
Valerie YardleyWow!Ceramic toy balloons, 13x6"
Valerie Yardley sometimes feels she is a ceramic artist by chance. She was a weaver many moons ago, had success in Philadelphia and started a tapestry studio. She went on to begin a fabric workshop for adults who were intellectually challenged - she was much more successful with them at keeping straight edges than teaching other adults! Her weavings became dimensional and tubular figures so it was no surprise that when she turned to ceramics she enjoyed the same. She feels her pieces are narrative and is never quite sure what will happen. When people asked me about her weavings as to how long they took, she learned to answer, 'My whole life!' The same is true of ceramics.
Amy YorkFinally SpringCone 6 carved stoneware, 7.5 x 5.5 x 2.5"
Amy York is a potter and general clay enthusiast. She has a BFA in painting and education from Ohio University. She taught high school art, ceramics and adult education ceramics for a decade in the Montana public school system.
Amy makes functional ceramic wares specializing in wheel throwing and cone 6 surface decoration. She currently resides in Huson, MT and her pots are featured in many businesses in western Montana.
Amy YorkFirst FlowersCarved stoneware, 5.5 x 4 x 1.75"
Richard NotkinMan's Best FriendTerra cotta fired to cone 5, press molded and detail "carved with love", 2.5x2.5x.75"100% donation by artist
Richard Notkin (Vaughn, Washington) is a studio artist who has created ceramic sculptures and teapots laden with social and political commentary for more than five decades. His art is in more than 70 museum collections throughout America, Europe and Asia. Among his awards are three Individual Artist Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, and grants from the Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, Tiffany Foundation, and the Hoi Fellowship from United States Artists. Notkin is a Fellow of the American Craft Council, received the Honorary Membership Award from NCECA, and Meloy Stevenson Award from the Archie Bray Foundation for the Ceramic Arts.
Susan CarlsonLemon with Blue BloomsCone 6 porcelain, 14x17"100% donation by artist
Heidi Kreitchet & Augusta SmithWood Fired VesselA collaborative thrown and altered vessel, made in Summer 2023 during the Wood Fire Invitational at The Clay Studio of Missoula, fired in the Clay Studio Anagama in November 2023Wood fired stoneware, 22x8x8"100% donation by artists
Heidi Kreitchet and Augusta Smith met during a wood firing at the Reitz Ranch during the end of his residency there in 2020. A surprise firing, fueled by free time during the pandemic, Augusta and Heidi worked shift together firing the train kiln. A friendship quickly formed, and Heidi invited Augusta to come work at AMOCA after his time at the Reitz Ranch ended. Augusta packed up and moved to California for what was supposed to be a two month visiting artist residency, and turned into a 6 month residency under the Wingate Grant. Heidi facilitated this wonderful opportunity, and gave Augusta the chance to develop an exacting firing schedule for AMOCA's largely un-used soda kiln. Heidi and Augusta collaborated extensively, making over 20 collaborative works together. To the work, Augusta brings technical expertise in throwing large scale vessels on the potter's wheel. Using hand building techniques, Heidi has an intuitive approach in creating elegant attachments for the pieces which tell a story. Over the past three years, the intergenerational duo have demonstrated at ceramic studios, exhibited their work in galleries across the US, and continue to expand their portfolios with new collections.
Tessa HoenigSuper SpaghettiEarthenware, nichrome wire, underglaze, glaze, 12x11x11"100% donation by artist
Kayla NobleWoodfired VesselStoneware, woodfired, 11x11x8.5"100% donation by artist
Krissy Ramirez SEND IT Cups (set of 3) Cone 04, Earthenware, Underglaze Variable sizes 4" x 3.25" x 3.25" , 4" x 3" x 3" , 3.5" x 3.5" x 3.5"100% donation by artist
Born and raised in the border town of Douglas, AZ, Krissy discovered her enthusiasm for clay at Cochise College. Furthering her education, she received a BFA with an emphasis in ceramics from Western New Mexico University in 2017. Then, after completing a 2 year artist in residence program at WNMU she moved to Montana without visiting the big sky. During her time in Missoula she has been part of; the post-baccalaureate program at the University of Montana, co-founded and was a resident artist at Wildfire Ceramic Studio and is currently making work in a new private space called Speakeasy Clay Studio alongside other amazing artists. Krissy is currently a resident artist at The Clay Studio of Missoula.
Casey Zablocki 1 Bottle 2 CupsWoodfire ceramic, Bottle 4.5x4.5x7, Cups 2x2x2.5"100% donation by artist
Casey Zablocki was born and raised in the Upper Peninsula. He received his BFA from Finlandia University and studied ceramic design in Kuopio, Finland. He has studied as an apprentice to Peter Callas and designer/artist Hun-Chung Lee. He did post baccalaureate studies at Montana State University for one year. Casey was the Woodfire resident at the Clay Studio of Missoula from 2013-2015, and currently maintains an active studio practice in Missoula.
Chris AlveshereTwo-Tone Cookie JarWheel thrown colored porcelain, 7.75x7.75x8.5"100% donation by artist
Chris Alveshere's pots are an investigation of items he finds curious, feels sentimental towards, or objects he finds humor in. This investigation could come from the object's surface, form, or most often from an intriguing proportion or scale. Inflated swells, large knobs, and enamel-like sheens from sanded surfaces and glazes create exaggerated, vibrant pieces. In Spring 2020, Chris received his Master of Fine Arts in Ceramics from New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Prior to his graduate studies, Chris spent several years as an arts educator in Minnesota and North Dakota. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education & Bachelor of Arts in Ceramics from Minnesota State University Moorhead. Chris was a long-term resident at The Clay Studio of Missoula from 2020-22. He is the co-founder of Workroom Montana and teaches community programming locally.
Phil MahnLidded JarMid range ceramic, wood fired, 23x22x22"100% donation by artist
Philip Mahn was born and raised in Great Falls and currently lives near Missoula. His development as a potter has been through independent study, mentoring, and a variety of community ceramic studios like the Paris Gibson Square, The Clay Studio of Missoula, University of Montana, and the Archie Bray Foundation. His work is a collaboration of the intuitive interaction with clay and the embracement of the firing processes that make it uniquely ceramic.
Matthew O'ReillyMoon Soda Fired Ceramic and Acrylic Sheet 12" x 12" x 1.5"100% donation by artist
Shalene ValenzuelaA Toast to Burning Desires: Fondue PartySlipcast earthenware and cone 6 porcelain, underglaze, glaze, 7"x9"x5"100% donation by artist
Tara WilsonPitcherWood fired Stoneware, 9.5x5x4"100% donation by artist
Tara Wilson was captivated by the woodfiring process during her undergraduate studies at the University of Tennessee. Armed with an MFA from the University of Florida she ventured westward for a transformative residency at The Archie Bray Foundation. Montana's rugged beauty stole Tara's heart and in 2008 she planted roots and set up her studio near Helena. She has shared her expertise through lectures and workshops throughout the United States and her work has been exhibited internationally. She facilitated the Cultural Confluence Woodfire Symposium in 2018 and serves as a founding host of The Montana Clay Tour. When not in the studio, Tara can be found roaming the hills on her mountain bike.
George Metropoulos McCauleyCovered JarThrown, multi-fired stoneware, 12x9.25x9"100% donation by artist
George Metropoulos McCauley, a Greek/American potter, has had 30 solo shows and has been included in 300 exhibitions. He has taught and conducted workshops internationally. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and grants and his pottery and sculpture are included in international collections in 12 countries and multiple publications. McCauley continues to have a busy workshop and exhibition schedule and still finds time to produce his own local television show," George's House of Interesting Things" on HCTV, and "GHOC Wednesday Night Videos on the internet. He has 2 films to his credit, "Archie C. Bray, Life at the Brickyard" 2008 and "Ron Meyers and the Usual Suspects" 2013. Additionally McCauley has been working with the low income and disabled community for 40 years. He maintains a studio at his home in Helena, Montana where he makes colorful earthenware pots, high temperature wood firing, earthenware wood firing and narrative sculpture. Along the way he has worked as a chef in a Greek restaurant, full-time cowboy/horse trainer, concrete inspector, aluminum siding salesman, western catalog model, lifeguard and carpenter.
Cathy Weber4 Yellow Birds on a Wall Mount BranchCeramic and wood, 11x42x15"75% donation by artist
Cathy Weber grew up in the Midwestern US, studied at the Herron School of Art and Indiana University, and completed a formal painting apprenticeship in Mexico City. In 1981 she moved to Montana, where she maintains a studio in historic downtown Dillon. Skilled in a variety of media, Weber's work is motivated by an increasing sense of urgency to make things of beauty in response to war, injustice, greed and violence. Weber finds comfort and hope in the process of creating beautiful images of common objects.
Julia GallowayPitcherPorcelain, 13x7x6.5"100% donation by artist
Julia Galloway is a potter and a professor at the University of Montana, Missoula. Julia has exhibited and lectured at more than 300 venues across the United States, Canada, and Asia and her work is in the collections of the Smithsonian, the American Museum of Ceramic Art, and Alfred Ceramics Art Museum. She has served on the Board of NCECA, the Archie Bray Foundation, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts and the Green Task Force. Julia was awarded a United States Artist Grant, the NCECA 2023 Fellows Council Award, and was named a Distinguished Scholar at the University of Montana, first person in the arts to receive this award since 1986.
Beth LoLet's Have Some SoupThrown and slip cast porcelain, underglazes cone 6, 2 bowls each 7.5x5x5"100% donation by artist
Beth Lo is a ceramic artist and retired professor from the School of Art of the University of Montana. She has exhibited her work internationally and has received numerous awards for her work including the USA Fellowship and a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship. Beth and her sister, author Ginnie Lo, have collaborated on two children's picture books, Auntie Yang's Great Soybean Picnic (2012) and Mahjong All Day Long which won the 2005 Marion Vannett Ridgeway Award. She has also collaborated with her mother, Chinese brush painter, Kiahsuang Shen Lo. Beth is also active as a bass player and vocalist for several musical ensembles including The Big Sky Mudflaps and Salsa Loca. The Big Sky Mudflaps is a swing and jazz ensemble that has played on the NBC Today Show and the Kool Jazz Festival among other national venues.
Courtney MurphyCandleholderHandbuilt and wheel thrown earthenware, glazed to cone 01, 3.75x10.5x2.5"100% donation by artist
Courtney Murphy began working in clay while living in Brooklyn, NY. After several years of working for potters around the city, she moved to Portland, OR and received a post-baccalaureate in ceramics from the Oregon College of Art and Craft. Courtney moved to Montana in the summer of 2009 for a ceramic residency at the Archie Bray Foundation. She was a resident at the Clay Studio of Missoula from 2012-2014, and currently serves on the board of directors.
Elisha HarteisBunny MischiefWhite earthenware, underglaze, oxide washes, luster, 4x4x9"100% donation by artist
Elisha is a ceramic artist living in Missoula, MT. She received her BFA in Ceramics from the University of Montana and has continued her education by completing a short term residency at Red Lodge Clay Center, a studio assistantship at the Arrowmount School of Arts and Crafts, and a short-term and long-term residency at the Clay Studio of Missoula. She loves working with kids and sharing her passion with ceramics by teaching in after-school programs and other art programs in Missoula.
Renee BrownAzure Lichenite, RaindropiumCeramic with mixed media, 20x19x3.5"100% donation by artist
Renée Brown spent many summer days playing in the creek bed next to her home growing up in Conyers Georgia. Clay has always been under her nails. In 2002 Brown left the Interior design field to pursue her MFA in Ceramics at the University of North Texas. Upon receiving her degree, she completed several artist residencies in Montana including: The Archie Bray Foundation, Red Lodge Clay Center, and The Clay Studio of Missoula. She now maintains a studio in her home in Missoula, Montana.
Grace OrwenRoutine Bud Vase Midrange stoneware, glaze, underglaze, 5"x4"x6"100% donation by artist
Sarah Jaeger2 PlatesEarthenware, hand built, maiolica glaze, over glaze decoration, 10.5x10.5x1"100% donation by artist
Sarah Jaeger has been a studio potter in Helena, MT since completing her residency at the Archie Bray Foundation in 1987. She was awarded an Individual Artist Fellowship from the Montana Arts Council (1996), and a $50,000 unrestricted Target Fellowship from United States Artists (2006), and was one of the artists profiled in the PBS documentary, Craft in America (2007). Montana Clay designated her to be the 2019 Potter Laureate. After developing a neurological disease in recent years, she went from making wheel thrown porcelain pots to hand building earthenware. She has taught at schools and art centers in the US and Canada, and her work is in public and private collections, and most importantly, in many kitchens throughout the country.
Richard SmithSerenity CairnWood fired stoneware cone 12, 10x13x5.5"100% donation by artist
I am a ceramic artist exploring the methodology and aesthetic of wood and soda fired ceramics.Through abstraction of objects and shapes, I convey a vague sense of visual familiarity, while rejecting traditional depictions of these forms. My intent is to build a sculptural form that will initially grab the viewer's attention, followed by a more detailed inspection of the surface color, crackage and texture. My goal is to build contemporary sculpture that lends itself to this fascinating niche expression.
Recently, I have chosen a content path that includes objects such as cairns, beacon towers, and totems, that serve as metaphors for physical route or metaphysical path finding.
Mo GaryShelterCone 6 Porcelain, underglaze, glaze, 13.5x4.5x4"100% donation by artist
Mo Gary's passions are gardening and art. Decades ago she started growing vegetables, making pottery, and weaving baskets. Dirt, clay and plants consumed her as they kept her in the natural world. Mo must have flowers with her always. Wood firing clay drives her wild. Mo's work is diverse, organic, intricate, and personal. She cannot keep her hands off of it. It speaks of growth and bloom.
Jon BonnicksenMirror Black Beauty HareClay, glaze, nail polish, cone 6, 16"H x12"W x9"D100% donation by artist
Jon Bonnicksen was raised in Los Angeles by artistic parents who worked in the animation business. He grew up around art but did not follow that path initially. He received his bachelor's degree in Resource Conservation and a Master's degree in Counseling. He then practiced as a psychotherapist for 15 years. Jon has dabbled in ceramics since middle school. In 2011 he started taking classes at the Clay Studio of Missoula. He became serious about his work four years ago when he began sculpting animals. He enjoys playing with metaphor, persona, and duality.
Richard NotkinOil & WaterTerra cotta fired to cone 5, press molded and detail "carved with love" , 2.5x2.5x.75"100% donation by artist
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