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Photo Albums:   On The Road   In The (Former) Studio   Customer Map   Abbey & Jodie

Well, we sold our house and pottery studio, but here are some pictures that show what it looked like! We are in the process of designing our new home and art studio, and we hope to start construction by early summer, 2007. (Winter isn't the best time to start a construction project in Montana!) Our new life will center around Kila, which is about 20 miles west of Kalispell (about 30 miles west of our previous home and studio). Kila consists of a grade school, post office, and a handful of houses. We are intentionally trying to slow time down, and make our days more peaceful and purposeful. Wish us luck!

Our former studio (left) was just a short commute from our house (right), near Columbia Falls in northwestern Montana.

We make all of our pottery by hand, starting with wet clay. The only machine we use is our kiln. Thus, our production is limited and every piece is an original.

We use a clay body that is specially formulated to withstand thermal shock. Clay runs are usually to pick up 2 to 5 tons at a time, and the dogs help us unload the 50-lb boxes into our studio.

We got an exciting break from work when a neighbor's horses got loose and decided to visit our flamingos...

Summer storms often depart with a rainbow or two behind the studio. (No pot of gold, but pounds and pounds of clay!)

Our summertime view from the studio occasionally included tremendous smoke clouds from wildfires in Glacier National Park...

... And our winter view (from the other studio window) sometimes included a small herd of elk (seen strolling past the scarecrow in our garden).

We gave the Tree Swallows the boot -- literally. Every year, they nested in this cowboy condo that hangs just outside our studio window, where we could watch them.

Once rolled out, clay must be kept perfectly flat or it will warp when fired in the kiln. So how do we smooth both sides of a big, wet baking stone?

All of our tiles are made by hand, and must be completely dry before the first firing in the kiln. Each tile is then glazed by hand before firing a second time at a higher temperatuure. Each firing takes about 2 days, and the whole process takes about 2 weeks.

In a previous career, Tracy worked in fire management for national park units across the western U.S., ending up at Glacier Nat. Park in MT (where she met John!).

In his previous life, John was a national park service biologist. His research on Harlequin Ducks earned him international recognition (ie -- several Canadians recognize him) and the nickname, "Duck Boy."