EXPLORE THE 2026 tour
Use this interactive map to plan your visit to our Whatcom County studios this year. Each marker includes an address, a list of artists at each studio, and their websites or instagram handles.
Meet the artists
Stop #1
2614 Aldergrove Rd. Ferndale, WA
Stop #1 Host Artist
Jennifer A. Yates is an artist and educator living in Ferndale, Washington. She currently creates pottery, metal fine art, manages Yates Fine Arts, and is a certified Washington State Teacher that instructs locally. Yates is published in 500 Bowls , The Best of 500 Ceramics, and shows her organic soda fired pottery, and precious metal forms in galleries around the country. She received her BFA in Studio Arts and BS in Art Education from the University of Wisconsin-Stout where she was an Artist in Residence.
Stop #1 Guest Artist
My starter of pottery experience is in 1993 at PNW. After taking a class for three years, I kept working as a studio potter for a couple more years. Then I took three years of advanced pottery class in Kirkland Art Center. I have been working in my own studio since moved to Bellingham.
Stop #2
2521 Vallette St, Bellingham, WA
Stop #2 Host Artist
Instagram: @bluewaterpottery
Jeremy Noet grew up in Alaska and has been making pots in Bellingham since 1997. He makes thrown functional work and loves building and firing kilns.
Stop #2 Guest Artist
Angela Cook is a Ceramic Artist based in Bellingham Washington whose work utilizes bright colors and imagery to produce beautiful, nature inspired pottery. Angela primarily works with porcelain and stoneware to create functional pottery designed to make everyday life activities more meaningful. Her work can be found locally at Good Earth Pottery, Brazen and the Lucky Dumpster.
Stop #2 Host Artist
Erica Davidson is a ceramic artist and teacher in Bellingham, Washington. She creates handmade ceramic vessels and focuses on surface design that is inspired by the cycles of the natural world, folk tales, block printing, and botany; and enjoys the physicality of translating her inner life into functional vessels.
Stop #3
Starflower Studios, 120 Prospect St., Ste. 4, Bellingham, WA
Stop #3 Guest Artist
Amy Simons is an artist based in Bellingham, WA. She holds a BFA in ceramics from the University of Washington and an MFA in printmaking from Arizona State University. Amy’s foundational training in ceramics and textiles have shaped her approach to constructing work through form and surface. She loves printmaking for qualities of surprise, reversal, and the medium’s ability to open up new pathways or habits of thought. Most recently she has been making giant, illuminated woodcut collages that use pattern, scale, light and shadow to investigate how we navigate our roles as both individuals and parts of collectives.
Stop #4
112 Ohio Street, Suite 111, Bellingham, WA
Stop #4 Host
website | IG: @ayla.mullen
Ayla Mullen has a BA in Environmental Political Theory and Ceramics from Marlboro College. She furthered her ceramic education by attending courses at the Penland School of Crafts and completing an apprenticeship with studio potter Ellen Shankin, in Floyd VA. She currently lives and works in Bellingham, WA, and teaches classes and workshops around the PNW.
Stop #4 Host Artist
Ellora Duncan is an artist and vegetable farmer living on Coast Salish land in Bellingham, WA. Her ceramic work is inspired by the way functional pottery inspires ritual; shared or private. She believes well made, beautiful objects have the power to draw the user’s attention to the remarkable richness of our everyday lives.
Ellora’s ceramic work is wheel thrown and then hand carved to make delicate yet functional dinnerware, mugs, tea pots and other vessels. Ellora aims to honor the material resources used to create her work by offering each handmade object care, time and attention to detail– from material sourcing to design, to the final intended purpose of each item; to remind us to slow down and notice the abundant and sensual nature of our lived experience.
Stop #4 Guest Artist
When I see a ball of clay, I see loons, sea lions, songbirds, and otters, waiting to emerge. Holding a piece of clay in my hand, I think about how I can transform it from such an elemental form to something with grace and breath. I have always been in awe of nature. I remember hiding in a tree as a young child and trying to be still enough for the birds to forget I was there. This began a lifelong journey to observe those fleeting moments in nature and bring them to life in my art. I want to capture the essence of my subject. Whether it is a sculpture of a bird with its head cocked, about to take flight, or the petals of a flower lit up by a ray of sunshine on a mug, or a polar bear cub looking at its mama, I want my art to imbue a sense of connection to nature. I am fortunate to live in the Pacific Northwest, where there is endless inspiration. Each time I see a little flick of a tail or a perfect cloud, I feel the tug of my clay.
Stop #4 Guest Artist
IG: @august.odegiles
I started working with clay in 2022 and have been hooked since. There is so much possibility in clay - layering choices like techniques, glazes, and firing environments. I find inspiration in exploring the process itself and learning how those choices result in a piece feeling the way it does.
Stop #4 Guest Artist
Fell into the mud as teen in the pacific northwest, and never crawled out
Sharing his love of mud with his two sons
Erik of many crafts, master of none
Sometimes finder of things, often lost in thought
Sometimes maker of bottles, frequent relater of pointless anecdotes
Recreating the pot shard dump of ancient Rome, one pot at a time.
Stop #4 Guest Artist
Ceramic artist working out of his studio and showroom in Alger WA, since 2020, and has been working with clay since 1989. He received his BA in Ceramics and Printmaking from Western Washington University in 1995.
This work is an approach to find visual balance and interest using subtle colors and elements, while also allowing the character of the wheel thrown and hand built processes to show through in the final pieces.
Stop #4 Guest Artist
After Ann left Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, she worked as a freelance designer for dozens of magazines from The Wall Street Journal to Rolling Stone, and in the eighties and nineties, became known as one of the two foremost type and logo designers in the U.S. Her logos can still be seen on Time, Esquire and Fast Company. She began working with clay in upstate NY in 2013 and continued when she moved to Bellingham in 2018, studying at Baker Creek, Jansen, and Burnish pottery studios. Her aim: “To populate the world with beautiful things”
Stop #4 Guest Artist
Hello! My name is Lauren Ode-Giles, and I've been getting my hands muddy since 2022. I am inspired by the wilds of outer space, the wild west, modern design, and a spirit of playful adventure! I enjoy the challenge of taking a joyfully absurd idea and bringing it to life and functional forms. This pushes me to keep learning, and keeps me laughing and looking forward to the next project.
Stop #5
1322 Grant St, Bellingham, WA
Stop #5 Host Artist
Damian Di Nitto is an artist and educator based in Bellingham, WA. He has worked in multiple media and is now focused on ceramics. He attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and completed his bachelor's degree in art education and master's degree in special education at the University of Montana. He recently constructed his own studio, transforming a dilapidated shed into a tiny artistic sanctuary.
Stop #6
819 14th St, Bellingham, WA
Stop #6 host artist
Pippin Christiansen is a Bellingham-based artist whose work encompasses ceramics, textiles, and painting, all infused with a deep appreciation for nature and mindfulness. Her creations celebrate the beauty of the natural world, inviting viewers to pause and reflect on the everyday moments that often go unnoticed. Pippin has shown work at the Lynden Library, Jansen Gallery, The Frye Art Museum, Emerge Gallery, Circa Gallery, Schack Art Center, Good Earth Pottery and Museum of Northwest Art. Pippin currently lives in Bellingham, Washington with her husband and two daughters. She works as an art Teacher at Options High School and as a practicing artist in stolen moments.
Stop #3 Guest Artist
Sara Young is an artist who teaches in studios all over western Washington. Her work can be seen on the Washington Clay Art poster. She is also a writer and a rebel.
Stop #3 Guest Artist
Magon started her career as an art educator. She has been teaching visual arts, at various public high schools in Whatcom, Skagit, and Snohomish counties, for the last 18 years. She has her bachelors and masters degrees in art education and national board certification. Her work focuses on the conceptual story telling, illustration, and sculpture.
Stop #3 Guest Artist
Instagram: @sophiestuff_pottery
I make wheel thrown functional pottery, featuring drawings of Pacific Northwest themes.
Stop #3 Host Artist
A lifelong Washingtonian, AnnMarie Cooper has worked in ceramics for nearly 20 years as both gallerist and artist of Good Earth Pottery and Starflower Studios. She teaches classes locally and internationally, and also manages an online artist mentorship program called Cohorts.Art. The ceramics-appreciating community plays a warm and pivotal role in her life, although the pottery making is her favorite part. AnnMarie's work spans the realms of functional and sculptural, heavily influenced by the landscapes, flora, and fauna of the PNW. Hand-carved porcelain is her current passion in the studio. The bright white clay showcases her vibrant colored glazes or when left unglazed, offers a cozy, satiny finish begging to be held.
Studio #3 Guest Artist
Kaylee creates wheel thrown, functional pottery. She decorates her pots with a design technique called ‘sgraffito’ where she carves her designs through underglaze to reveal the contrasting color of the clay body beneath. She finds inspiration for her work spending time outdoors and reading novels.
Stop #3 Guest Artist
I am a potter and woodworker, working out of Starflower Studios. I make functional ceramics with softly geological surfaces using stained porcelains and a variety of subtractive carving techniques including kurinuki, chattering, faceting, whittling, and turning. My pots combine the colors and textures of the coastal Pacific Northwest with the abstracted structural elements of Brutalism.
Stop #7
4940 Columbus Ave, Bellingham, WA
Stop #7 Host Artist
Instagram: @muddy_artist_hands
Rediscovering clay after 35 years has been so much fun. Taking clay from its plastic state to something that can survive eons is interesting.
Stop #8
2227 Electric Ave, Bellingham, WA
Stop #8 Host Artist
I am a “slow production potter” working mostly on the wheel with a stoneware clay body. I mix my own matte or semi-gloss glazes and oxidation fire in an electric Kiln at a midrange temperature.
Creating functional pottery allows me to contribute to my community by promoting the idea of “Reuse and Recycle, and Refill” in order to diminish the use of plastics and honor the value of “handmade” products over perfectly manufactured vessels.
I’ve been working with clay for over 30 years now and have decided at the age of 77 to begin a new direction focusing on sharing my passion for pottery and my joy of life.
Stop #9
4058 Hammer Dr. Suite 102
Stop #9 Host Artist
Growing up along the green belt in Bellingham, Washington, Brecken spent childhood afternoons roaming the woods—hiding in ferns, climbing trees, and swimming in creeks and glacial lakes. That landscape continues to fuel Brecken’s curiosity and gratitude. Yet, as ecosystems face ongoing threats of extinction, Brecken’s art seeks to capture their fragile beauty, offering a lens into the natural world that once gave hope as a child and continues to inspire today.
Working primarily in functional pottery adorned with black and white sgraffito, Brecken deepened their craft after high school as a studio assistant at Baker Creek Ceramics in Bellingham. The community there nurtured Brecken’s creativity, leading to teaching opportunities and, eventually, the role of studio manager. At just 21, Brecken purchased Baker Creek Ceramics from founder Deb McCunn, beginning a new chapter of stewardship and growth.
The world of clay remains boundless. Each day brings new lessons and new ways for Brecken to express a personal voice through art.
Stop #9 Guest Artist
Towards the end of 2018 I resigned from my long held position in the field of electrical engineering, left my childhood home of Seattle, Washington, and moved to the desert. My intention for this dramatic transition was to revitalize myself and reinvest in creative passions I had been neglecting for years. Over the course of what was then thought to be a sabbatical, I sampled numerous mediums, overcame challenges, celebrated breakthroughs, and ultimately learned a great deal about myself. I have since focused my creative energy on the ceramic arts and have recently returned to the Pacific Northwest with a breadth of experience. My work ranges from functional pottery to abstract and figurative sculpture. The diversity of my work is unified by its organic, gestural quality. I am always seeking a sense of effortlessness in my often highly technical endeavors.
Stop #11 Host Artist
A year in Munich, and frequent visits to New Mexico where his mother grew up, sparked Mark’s love of art. He studied pottery at TC3, Goddard, and Cornell University.
Mark’s skills are hands on. He has worked in engineering, solar energy, and construction. Mark has designed and built homes, kilns, and studio equipment.
In Colorado he built his off-grid solar home and studio, taught pottery, has shown and sold work at galleries in Steamboat Springs, Aspen Valley, Grand Lake, Fort Collins and the craft show circuit.
Mark connected with local artists when his sculpture, Ice Fire, was displayed in the Lightcatcher Museum. This sculpture is inspired from losing his Colorado home and studio to wildfire. Here in Bellingham, Mark was a member of the Roe Studio at Whatcom Community College while he rebuilt his own studio. Mark’s present studio includes a showroom built in a shipping container. His art in clay, steel, and wood can be found at Wharton Studio Works.
Stop #9 Guest Artist
Xavier Reyes-Jech is a Ceramics Instructor and artist with an active practice in Bellingham WA. Xavier’s work explores themes of history as lived experience in which he translates into his work with layers of texture color and various surface decoration layerings. Xavier has had the opportunity to work in many creative spaces throughout his career. Building community and connection is something he values just as much as his own creative practice. Most notably working as an intern and studio assistant at Anderson Ranch Arts Center was a formative experience for him. Getting to learn from many professionals in the field provided heaps of technical knowledge but also immensely grew his love for serving the community around him. Now you'll likely find Xavier in his studio throwing slabs at the floor.
Stop #9 Host Artist
Deb McCunn sculpts a range of emotive animals from wall masks to garden sculptures.
Stop #9 Guest Artist
Jesse Rasmussen’s sculpture and functional work explore the intricate details of natural phenomena and how they correspond with the human experience. His work provides visual dialogues derived from personal experiences and observations of the natural world resulting in sculptural objects reflective of this experience. Original artworks produced by Rasmussen reveal an intimate knowledge of growth patterns and symbiotic relationships of the natural world and how everything is related. The sculptures generate abstract microcosmic representations of the world as a connected and interrelated source of knowledge, creativity, and personal insight as it relates to the human experience.
By revealing the subtleties of the natural world in texture, pattern and form; the artist’s insight into the natural world on a physical and mental level suggests the need for a greater awareness and understanding of the environment. It is the hope of the artist that this will eventually lead to a perspective of how humans are related to the natural ecosystem and how we can interact with the environment in a positive and symbiotic manner.
Rasmussen received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in ceramics/sculpture at the University of Minnesota in the United States and achieved a Master of Visual Arts degree in ceramic sculpture at the University of Sydney in 2010.
4058 Hammer Dr. Suite 105
Stop #9 Guest Artist
Instagram: @aliroseceramics
Ali grew up in Bellingham and is continually inspired by its ceramic community. She makes functional pots including mugs, bowls, vases, and planters.
Stop #9 Guest Artist
I first touched clay in high school, and then not again for 25 years. Let’s just say it has my attention. Actually clay demands my attention now, it doesn’t allow me to procrastinate too much, always keeps me humble and never allows me to become attached.
Working with clay is organic and so satisfying. It feels like playing with the earth. You can literally shape it into whatever you can dream up. Then you fire it and it becomes a permanent peice. From your imagination, through your heart and your hands, you create something that has a human warmth to it, and can last a lifetime.
I love textiles and all things fashion and interior design. Shapes and forms from eras gone by, inspire me with their rich history which has informed everything from fashion, cars, music, and the homes we live in. I am drawn to mid century shapes, clean lines and glazes that spark joy and compliment the peice. I enjoy making functional pottery that draws you in, asking to be used.
Stop #9 Guest Artist
Native to the PNW, Erin Matthews is an artist and ecologist inspired by growth, change, and the natural world
Stop #10
2985 Goshen Rd, Bellingham, WA
Stop #10 Host Artist
Brian’s pieces have been described as modern in their profile and primitive in their surfaces. Some have said they are monumental at any scale, ancient as if dug up from the sea.
Most of his forms are vessels. They have an interior and an exterior, the visible form and the more hidden space inside is an anthropomorphic relationship Brian enjoys exploring. Each piece comes into existence and develops a personality as it evolves, much like all of us.
His artwork is rooted in the traditions of Japanese Mingei philosophies while reflecting his longstanding immersion in contemporary art and design.
Stop #11
5811 Giarde Ln, Bellingham, WA
Stop #12
Jansen Art Center 321 Front St, Lynden, WA
Stop #12 Host Artist
Instagram: @Ryanvaughanpottery
As the Ceramics Director at the Jansen Art Center in Lynden, WA, I have the privilege of teaching traditional wheel throwing and sharing my passion for ceramics. My work is guided by instinct and creativity yet firmly anchored in the principles of art and design. I remain committed to what inspires me in the moment, allowing each piece to evolve organically. The process of creating, feeling the clay take shape, refining it, and watching it transform, matters to me just as much as the final piece. It’s that balance of hands-on work and seeing the outcome that keeps me passionate about pottery.
Stop #12 Guest Artist
Instagram: @katfekkes
Katrina (Kat) Fekkes is an Adjunct Professor of Art and Design at Whatcom Community College. She received her MFA with an emphasis in Ceramics and 3D Sculpture from The University of Idaho in 2021. She holds a BA with emphases in Studio Art from Eastern Washington University. Her art combines interests in ceramics, sculpture, metal, woodworking, and textiles while exploring themes of place, institutionalization, addiction recovery and the inner workings of the human psyche.
Stop #12 Guest Artist
I am a recently retired educator who has enjoyed making pottery and developing my skills over the past five years at the wonderfully supportive Jansen Art Center in Lynden.