Kathie Kline

I took my first pottery class in Berkeley, California in 1973. For weeks I couldn’t even center the clay on the wheel. During that nine-week session, only three pots survived throwing, trimming, bisque-firing, glazing, and firing again. The end results weren’t important to me — I had been having so much fun, I felt that making pots was something I could do forever. I continued to take occasional pottery classes over the years while raising children and teaching school. In 2004, my dream about making pots for a living came closer to being a reality when I learned about Haywood Community College’s Professional Craft program. By the time I graduated, we had built a studio in our backyard. Now when my work is sold at art fairs and galleries, I’ve discovered a new pleasure: seeing my pottery ‘babies’ carried home by smiling buyers.

My recent work is an extension of my love of flowers and Japanese culture. My ikebana vases - small, with pins inside to anchor the flowers - were just the beginning. Now I'm exploring the almost limitless world of larger ikebana containers, never finding enough hours in the day to play with a new design. As a new student of ikebana, I'll be posting photographs of my flower arrangements after each class.