Doug Cole - Sumner, IA

I was a secondary art instructor for thirty-three years and retired in 2000. That same year I established Cole Art Pottery.

My pottery is electric fired cone six wheel-thrown stoneware. I am always enthused about the endless possibilities and permanence of clay. The tactile qualities of clay and the physical challenges are always making the process of working with clay a rewarding experience.

Cole Pottery is recognizable because of the use of red stoneware clay with brushed iron oxide stain. This enhances and darkens the clay. I also use embellishments of carved wooden and sculptural elements, various natural slip decoration and embedded marine fossils on the pottery.

The glazing techniques that I use include spraying, dipping, pouring and splattering. These techniques lead to one of a kind pottery pieces. I specialize in the forms of vases, bottlenecks, a variety of bowl shapes and lidded forms.

My pottery can be found in galleries in Iowa and Minnesota. I also participate in eight to ten art shows during the spring, summer and fall months.

Doug Cole, Cole Art Pottery, 100 W 1^st St, Sumner, IA 50674

Kirk Neihouse - Marshalltown, IA

Rick Scheffert - Calmar, IA

Rick Scheffert, creator of Spirit of Clay Pottery, lives at the end of a dead-end road in a valley of Northeast Iowa. He studied pottery under Dean Schwarz and "Jack" Dale Raddatz at Luther College, Decorah, Iowa, where he was trained in the Bauhaus tradition. While honoring this tradition and using many of its forms, Rick's interest is in pushing the limits of tradition to create forms which are a mixture of new and old. Rick shows his work throughout the Midwest and has been an award winning artist since 2011. When he is not creating artwork, Rick enjoys being outside, doing theatre and gardening.

Rebecca Skow - Cedar Rapids, IA

My ceramic work is defined directly by my native heritage from my grandmother and our love for nature. Natural forms and symbols are always finding their way into my work. My functional ceramic vessels cater to the human desire for physical and emotional comfort and gratification. In my work I utilize form, color and design to evoke a sense of ease that can be experienced both aesthetically and through use.

My passion for horses is evident in my work. Their majesty, strength, and beauty are at the center of my inspiration. I am captivated by their eyes that seem to see to the bottom of your soul, the texture of their coat on a rainy day, to the gentle swishing of their tail on a sunny afternoon.

Their environment is also a favorite source of inspiration. It is my goal to draw attention to the birds, flowers, color combinations, surfaces and textures I encounter in a pasture, and preserve in some way the visual and emotional experience of naturally occurring beauty.

My materials are stoneware and porcelain. Glazes are hand painted to employ texture, color and design, or simply as a liner. The pieces are thrown, hand built and sometimes altered, and designs etched into the surface. After bisque firing, the interiors are glazed; color is inlaid into any etchings and then hand painted. The work is then high fired in an electric kiln.