About Bunkhouse Pottery:Joanne's Story

Her family moved to Europe when she was a young child, so you might say that her adventurous spirit comes honestly. As a young lady, she began to appreciate the arts, and what better place to live than in Paris, France? While living there, she was inspired by Virginia Gift, and began to study the art of pottery.

When Joanne returned to the United States, she attended The University of Akron (Ohio) and studied the fine arts under Kathy Ricks, and other notables. With a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts in hand, she began to work first in the medical device industry. (She knew better than to be a STARVING artist…) Quickly, Joanne was recognized for her creativity and her career accelerated to tackling the development of more complex medical devices. As a result, her creativity sharpened in functional art over abstract.

Though Joanne always kept her hand in the clay, she married and raised a family of three children. In time, the children moved away from home and into their own careers. That’s when Joanne diverted back to building her dream - a custom pottery business. Oh, by the way - somewhere in the swirl of years flying by, she and her husband moved to the hills of Montana for solitude and inspiration. Is there a better place to be inspired?

Bunkhouse Pottery is a culmination of years of penned up ideas and anxiety to re-start her passion. Joanne’s hand crafted, custom pottery is not only unique, but durable. Her creativity spans the generations. Please send her your ideas and you will find her to be helpful in fulfilling your gift idea or personal dream too!