Seattle, Washington clay artist Barbara Dunshee has dealt with the odds in her beginning some 15 years ago with her first “frame and a tarp” workshop outside her duplex home. Much change developed when in 2003 she settled into her now permanent Barbara Dunshee Pottery home.
As time went on, she started to share her skills by balancing her time between creating her own works to include teaching private and eventually group classes. “I teach in small, intimate groups out of a conviction to maintain that same level of one-on-one availability and engagement.” But there is more to her teaching method where she “…leaves room for the joy of the craft and process to come through easily.”
Using a white on white palette, Barbara’s pieces maintain a focus on the personalities. They are a mixture of pragmatism and an energetic quirkiness that paints the essential qualities of the medium. Her creativeness is evident in her works with vibrant shapes, colors and textures which earns a place in the collections of art lovers.
From her humble start-up years, Barbara has become a respected presence in the Seattle arts community. More of her work can be viewed at: BarbaraDunshee.com.
Reprinted from AAPJ’s past Potter’s Shed