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!

Hope A.C. Bentley started throwing when she was eleven years old in a beautiful but drafty and unheated barn. She pursued her passion for throwing through high school (in a heated studio!) and college and then whenever her peripatetic twenties lead her to within reach of a studio. After a long hiatus without clay, she is delighted to have found Clay’n Around and is excited to share her ever evolving approach to pottery with the Clay’n Around community. She is a professional gardener and writer as well.

Sarah is a Ceramics instructor from Western Massachusetts and, after being introduced to the pottery wheel in high school, she perused an education in Ceramics, earning a BFA from The University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2016. She also credits her energetic and inspiring adjunct professors at Holyoke Community College for her introduction to mold making, Mishima, sgraffito, and her refined throwing techniques.

These days Sarah is most interested in sharing her knowledge and the therapeutic benefits that come with making and using handmade pottery.

While studying business at California University of Pennsylvania my path changed immediately after discovering the small ceramics studio in the heart of campus where I produced my first cup on the wheel.

Inspired by both the natural world and the human ability to transform earthen materials into cylinders, bowls, and plates, I utilize both traditional and contemporary techniques to produce functional forms designed for daily use. Each piece is crafted with intention, detail, and dedication.

Before my ceramics career, I served with the U.S. Army. In 2010-11, I served on the front lines in Afghanistan with the 101st Airborne 1-187 during Operation Enduring Freedom. Participating in combat patrols in the mountains of eastern Paktika gave me a profound sense of human destructiveness. After surviving my deployment and honorably completing my enlistment, I was motivated to pursue a field I enjoy and a deep need to create rather than destroy. Ceramics has helped me transcend a life of destruction to embrace a life of creation.

Meet Natalie - our enthusiastic and hardworking Studio Intern!

Natalie loves throwing and has been doing so since since middle school - but really got into it when she had the resources to explore thanks to the fantastic St. Johnsbury Academy Ceramics program. Natalie finds working with clay a great form of self-expression and relaxation.

So, when Natalie’s ceramics teacher recommended her, we didn’t hesitate to invite her into the Clay’n Around fold! Natalie is excited to bring her talent, knowledge and enthusiasm to Clay’n Around and is someone we can count on to help make the studio thrive!

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.