clayArt Studios' Senior Instructor

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Rielle returned to ceramics after leaving her corporate design career. What started as creative decompression became “creative rehab”, as the craft became a practice of slowing down, unlearning rigidity, and reconnecting with genuine expression.

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Rielle’s background in ceramics is a patchwork of high school art credits, a couple of workshops, a whole lot of independent study, and YouTube. Since her return to ceramics, Rielle quickly developed a crafters’ mentality of “why buy it, if I can make it?”. Her works are driven by the challenge and curiosity of that mindset, and she draws inspiration from working with the clay itself to make functional art that adds whimsy and character to everyday need. Rielle treats the studio as a space for exploration, tinkering, and embracing the toil of the craft. She invites students to embrace challenge, and stay open to where the clay will take them.