"I strive to make ceramics that please both the eye and the hand, to become part of your daily life."
~Ann Marie |
About Ann Marie - aka @annieoclay |
Clay is pivotal in Ann Marie Cooper's life. In 2009, she began working at Good Earth Pottery gallery in Bellingham, WA. Although hired for her experience in art sales and marketing, it didn't take long for the work to ignite her longtime back-burner dream of making pottery. Ann Marie became a potter, a teacher of ceramics to children and adults, an active member of the Washington Clay Arts Association, Co-Founder of Whatcom Artists of Clay & Kiln (WACK), and eventually, owner of Good Earth Pottery. Then, in 2022, she also became manager of Cohorts.Art. All signs point to clay.
Ann Marie's journey into clay began on the potter's wheel, but after a workshop in coil-building, she abandoned the wheel and devoted her efforts to hand-building and developing her own signature style of ceramics. However, after over a decade of specializing in coils and slabs, Ann Marie has reunited with the potter's wheel, enjoying the exploration and challenges of this fork in her artistic path. Stay tuned for the continued evolution of work from Ann Marie's home studio, Kulshan Clayworks. In 2013, Ann Marie was introduced to wood-firing, and quickly fell in love with the atmospheric process for finishing her work. Not having her own wood kiln, the opportunities for wood-firing were sporadic, so the majority of her work was finished in her electric kilns. It wasn't until 2021 when she transitioned to finishing all of her work in either soda or wood kilns. And after completion of her co-owned wood kiln in 2023, much more wood-fired work is in her future! |
Owner of Good Earth Pottery
a contemporary ceramics gallery representing local and national artists, located in the historic Fairhaven District of Bellingham, Washington since 1969. You could likely encounter Ann Marie in the gallery if you come visit: 1000 Harris Avenue, Bellingham, WA 98225 www.goodearthpots.com |
Ann Marie has joined forces with Simon Levin as manager of Cohorts.Art.
Read her blog post about this exciting small batch mentorship program for artistic growth! |