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. Her positivity and enthusiasm for the craft will fits in beautifully with the Clay’n Around community. She is passionate about creating bespoke glazes and colored slips to suit individual ceramic pieces. She will be teaching our glazing techniques workshops as well as wheel classes.

When she is not in the studio, Ellie is an avid veggie and flower farmer. Vermont suits her perfectly and we are lucky to have her at Clay'n Around

From an early age, Connor has found joy in the process of transfiguring clay, giving shape and structure to realize form.

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 such an inspiration for artists and entrepreneurs and we are grateful she will be joining the Clay’n Around teaching team!

Milt Doda has an undergraduate degree in Art Education with an emphasis on ceramics and an MFA in ceramics.

He has taught throwing on the wheel in a variety of settings including graduate school, high school and middle school as well as community-based clay programs for adults. Early in his career he worked in a hospital for patients with mental and behavioral challenges where he used clay as a therapeutic tool to promote healing.

His early work was influenced by Japanese wood fired pottery produced in the Shigaraki Tamba, Bizen, and Shino styles. While in China, he had the opportunity to load and fire a wood burning kiln partially constructed with bricks from the Ming Dynasty. On a trip sponsored by The Fulbright Memorial Fund, he spent time in Japan learning about their educational systems, arts and traditions. Closer to home, he has helped to construct kilns located in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Colorado, West Virginia, and Vermont.

Milt currently produces, glazes, and fires his work in his Groton, Vermont studio. His most recent ceramic work breaks away from ancient tradition and reflects his own aesthetic.

We are fortunate Milt is sharing his vast knowledge with the Clay’n Around community. @vermontpotter

Over her nearly 25 year teaching career, Melissa has taught art, general education glasses from pre-K to 8th grade and worked as an administrator for preschool.

Currently, she teaches combined 1st-2nd grade and is the Art teacher for Good Shepherd Catholic School in St. Johnsbury. Her family, a wonderful husband, daughter (SJA. student), and son (recent graduate of film and television studies at UVM) are a big part of why St. Johnsbury is so great. Her family has supported Clay'n Around since it was just an idea and she is excited to share her love of art with the children in our community.