Pick up a mug at almost any coffee shop in the Pacific Northwest, and there's a decent chance it was made by hand. The region has one of the densest concentrations of working potters in the country, a legacy of craft movements, Japanese ceramic influence, and a culture that genuinely values handmade objects in daily life. Washington State, in particular, has nurtured pottery traditions that range from utilitarian stoneware to ambitious sculptural installation.
How the Tradition Took Root
The Pacific Northwest pottery boom has several origin points. One is the influence of mid-century Japanese ceramics, brought to the region by potters who traveled to Japan to study under masters of the mingei (folk art) tradition. These Americans returned with a deep respect for functional pottery, wood-fired kilns, and the aesthetic philosophy that everyday objects should be both beautiful and useful. Their students, in turn, established programs at universities across Washington and Oregon that produced generations of skilled potters.
The University of Washington, Western Washington University, and the Cornish College of the Arts all developed ceramics programs that attracted serious students. The Archie Bray Foundation in Montana, while technically outside the Pacific Northwest, exerted enormous influence on Washington potters who trained there and brought their skills back to the region.
Another factor was the back-to-the-land movement of the 1960s and 70s, which brought idealistic young craftspeople to rural Washington communities. Some settled on the Olympic Peninsula, attracted by cheap land, beautiful surroundings, and a lifestyle compatible with slow, deliberate craft work. They built wood-fired kilns, dug local clay, and sold functional ware at farmers markets and craft fairs. A few of their studios are still operating today.
The Character of Northwest Pottery
Pacific Northwest pottery has a recognizable character, though it resists easy categorization. The dominant palette tends toward earth tones: ash glazes that produce gray-green surfaces, iron-rich glazes in brown and amber, and the warm orange of reduction-fired stoneware. These colors reflect the regional landscape (wet forests, river stones, overcast skies) and the influence of Japanese aesthetic values that prize subtlety over flash.
Form follows function in much Northwest pottery. Mugs, bowls, plates, teapots, and vases are the bread and butter of most working potters. But "functional" doesn't mean plain. The best potters in the region bring sculptural awareness to everyday forms, finding drama in the curve of a handle, the foot ring of a bowl, or the proportional relationship between a teapot's body and spout.
Wood firing has a particularly strong following in Washington. Potters who fire with wood (typically in anagama or noborigama-style kilns) accept a level of unpredictability in their results. The ash from the wood settles on pieces during the multi-day firing, creating natural glazes that vary from kiln load to kiln load. The results are prized by collectors for their uniqueness and the visible evidence of the fire process.
Pottery on the Olympic Peninsula
The Sequim-Dungeness area is home to a small but dedicated community of ceramicists. Some are wheel throwers producing elegant functional ware. Others are hand-builders who construct sculptural vessels and wall pieces. A few specialize in raku, a dramatic firing technique that produces metallic and crackled surfaces through rapid heating and cooling.
Pottery is well represented in Sequim's downtown galleries, particularly at Blue Whole Gallery, where several member artists work in clay. Local potters also participate in the First Friday Art Walk, sometimes offering live wheel-throwing demonstrations that draw crowds of curious visitors.
Sequim Arts offers ceramics workshops covering both wheel throwing and hand-building techniques. These sessions are popular with residents and visitors alike, and they serve as an entry point for people who've never worked with clay but have always wanted to try. Workshop participants have access to kiln firing, which means they leave with finished, functional pieces.
Where to See Pottery
If you're interested in seeing and purchasing handmade pottery in the Sequim area, start with the downtown galleries during any regular business day or during the Art Walk. Several artist studios in the valley include pottery studios that welcome visitors by appointment.
Beyond Sequim, the broader Olympic Peninsula offers opportunities to encounter pottery at the Port Townsend Gallery Walk, the Bainbridge Island Studio Tour, and various regional craft fairs. The Northwest Handmade Pottery Sale, held annually in Seattle, brings together dozens of the region's finest potters under one roof.
Making Pottery Accessible
One of the challenges of pottery is the infrastructure it requires. You can start painting with a set of watercolors and a pad of paper, but pottery requires a wheel or work table, clay, tools, a kiln, and space to make a mess. These barriers keep many interested people from exploring the medium.
Sequim Arts addresses this through community workshops that provide all necessary equipment and materials. Our Youth Arts program includes clay sessions that introduce children to working with their hands in three dimensions. For adults who discover they enjoy pottery, we can connect them with local studios that offer shared kiln access and ongoing instruction.
The investment is worth it. There's something about working with clay, a material that is simultaneously ancient and immediate, that satisfies a need most people didn't know they had. The Pacific Northwest's pottery tradition has always understood this: that making a good bowl by hand is a meaningful act, and that the act of drinking morning coffee from a vessel you helped shape changes your relationship to both the object and the moment.
Interested in trying pottery? Check our events calendar for upcoming ceramics workshops, or email [email protected] to be notified when the next session is scheduled.