After her first encounter with clay, Joanne Makulski phoned her father to say “I’ve found my medium!” His response: “I’m not surprised. Our family worked with clay in the old country. It’s in the blood.”

Before that night in 1991, Joanne’s studies in Fine Arts and in Interior Design had introduced her to the range of expressions inherent in shape, colour, size, and arrangement. All of these ideas coalesced when her hands met the clay.

She has since discovered that almost anything can be a handbuilding tool: a rolling pin, glue, a comb. A flat slab of clay invites texture, and cooperates in the pressing of found objects into it. Joanne then forms the clay into the shape she wants, using slump or drape moulds, or by cutting out and joining pieces.

Joanne continues to learn from other potters through lessons and workshops. A potter’s wheel joined the range of tools in Joanne’s studio, allowing her to explore combinations of thrown and handbuilt forms. With the addition of texture, colour, and a bit of whimsy, a piece is complete.

Joanne participates in the Waterloo Potters’ Workshop’s semi-annual shows and in the annual Mary-Allen Studio Tour in September.