Connor finds joy in the process of transfiguring clay, giving shape and structure to realize form.

In high school, he was fortunate to have an accomplished potter for a teacher who introduced him to the wheel, and he has been throwing ever since.

As a studio assistant at Burlington City Arts, he helped manage all aspects of running a community clay studio and continued to refine his skills on and off the wheel.

Now, he is thrilled to be a part of the Clay'n Around community and is excited to continue teaching and helping others on their own journey with clay.

Katrina Razionale Vahedi is the owner of Uphill Pottery, a one-woman ceramics studio located in Hardwick, VT. She has worked with clay since 2016, established her business just three short years later in 2019, and most impressively, Uphill Pottery is now her full-time work in 2024.

Katrina is interested in the relationship between clay and glaze, specifically how a glaze flows over texture on a pot (at the rim, handle, or over carving). Often her pots have minimal adornment so that this clay-glaze relationship can be the star of the show.

After leaving a career based in spreadsheets and computers for the world of pottery, Katrina has come full circle, bringing spreadsheets back into her studio practice to support her deep dive into glaze chemistry - something so rich and complex it’s sure to occupy her interest for years to come.

Katrina is an inspiration for artists and entrepreneurs and we are grateful she has joined the Clay’n Around teaching team!

At 6 years old, our first grade teacher brought us to Saint-Gaudens where we spent half a day creating with a resident sculptor. Two weeks later I brought home a fairly large and abstract clay unicorn which ignited my passion for clay and a lifelong love of art.

I enjoyed pottery through high school and later worked as a pottery assistant where I spent years learning the dedication and limits of refined, production pottery.

In addition to ceramics, I've dabbled with various types of natural mediums including glass, wood and metals. I love collaborating cultural, urban and natural elements and traveling to new places for inspiration. 

Creating and sharing art with others is my passion and I truly believe art is a universal language!

“To be an artist is to believe in life.” – Henry Moore

Ellie started her ceramics journey in a small local studio in Oregon and in the years since, has worked as a production potter in Washington and completed a Ceramics Post-Baccalaureate at the University of Montana. While at UM she was a teaching assistant and it was there that she dove into the world of glazes and native clays.

It is our great fortune that Ellie moved to Vermont! Ellie is an exceptionally patient and thorough teacher who understands that everyone experiences and learns to work with clay differently. She is passionate about creating bespoke glazes and colored slips to suit individual ceramic pieces. Her positivity and enthusiasm for the craft will fits in beautifully with the Clay’n Around community.