Meet Joan Pevarnik | Potter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joan Pevarnik and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joan, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I grew up in Colorado . I went to Northern Arizona University to study Spanish. I had already taken pottery in high school so I enrolled in a ceramics class. Much to my amazement, I met a teacher who would change my life. Don Bendel taught Art in such a thoughtful and transforming way. Art was a way of living, and Ceramics was his medium.

After graduating from NAU with a BFA in ceramics, I became a working potter in 1980 with my husband Steve. Steve is a potter and Artist. He builds my kilns and generally takes care of all the projects it takes to have a working pottery studio. It has been a great relationship for me and has formed the life that we have created together.

I sell my work in Art Galleries and Art markets around the southwest. I am so grateful for all the customers who appreciate handmade pottery to use in their everyday lives. I have customers who have been using my work for over 30 years and now their children are doing the same. In my mind making and selling pottery is bigger than commerce. It is a lifestyle that has brought me relationships and joy.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
When you buy local handmade pottery you support your community and help carry on a tradition of craft .

Everyone uses a cup. If you buy it from a manufacturer, the piece is probably made in a foreign country . It takes the same amount of materials and energy to create that cup. It is then shipped across the ocean, put on a truck , delivered to a warehouse and sold in a batch of thousands. You pay very little for the cup so your relationship with it is simply functional until it breaks rolling around in the back of your car.

When you buy a piece of handmade pottery, you have a relationship with the cup. You treated it better as you spent a little bit more on it. You probably met the maker. When you use the cup, you tend to think about that cup of coffee in a slightly different way. In our hurried mass produced world, I find that comforting to know that things are still made my hand.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
When you are in Flagstaff I would suggest visiting the Grand Canyon- Its BIG! and beautiful and amazing. And there is nothing else like it. One of the seven wonders of the world.

On your way home, stop by the Artists Gallery on San Fransisco Street. A co-op run by Artists who work and sell their Art. They always have a diverse and beautiful offering of hand created Art.

I would then stop in for a cup of coffee at Macy’s coffee house on Beaver. Or if your hungry, Martan’s on rt. 66 is a a fun and tasty place to enjoy a meal

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My Mother, Sally Hopper

Website: elfuegopottery.com

Image Credits
Martha Lochert is my photographer.