Bonnie Morgan

I was transfixed when I first saw a lump of grey clay take shape on a spinning potter’s wheel. Thus, at age fourteen began my lifelong love affair with clay. I grew up in Minnesota, and spent my college years in the Appalachian Mountains of East Tennessee, where I graduated with a degree in Art Education. I spent nearly every spare moment in the Ceramic Studio honing my craft and dreaming of becoming a studio potter. After moving to the Pacific Northwest I set up a studio and built my first kiln. I have called Ashland my home for over 40 years, and for most of that time I have been a fulltime potter exhibiting my work widely in the Northwest, teaching pottery classes, and being an active and founding member of Clayfolk.

Creating decorative and functional pottery has been the cornerstone of my work. The idea that a cup or bowl can be used every day and become part of another person’s life is very gratifying. Strong, simple forms with glaze in matte or glossy finishes are characteristic of my work. I enjoy making a full range of functional work including mugs, bowls, serving platters, trays, vases, and teapots. I use stoneware clays that are safe for the oven, microwave, and dishwasher. All the glazes I create are lead-free. After all these years clay continues to challenge and fascinate me whether I am hand building, working on the potter’s wheel, or developing new glazes. Every day when I enter the studio my goal is to create pottery that can enrich and celebrate our lives.