Paula West

I am a studio potter living on San Juan Island, Wa. Originally From Connecticut, I moved to San Juan Island in 1990 and in 1993 set up my small, home based ceramic studio. For the next 10 years I honed my craft and sold my work at regional art and craft shows while working part time and raising two sons with my husband Joe Cooper. In 2005, I dedicated myself to full time studio work and began opening my studio and showroom to the public. Merging function, craft, and art, my work is thrown on the potters wheel or shaped from rolled slabs of porcelain and stoneware clay. I explores texture, contrast, and line, creating whimsical motifs, geometric patterns, and carved surfaces using sgraffito and mishima surface decorating techniques. My pots are meant to be used, their true beauty expressed through functionality. My work is collected by locals and visitors alike and can be found gracing many San Juan Island homes and restaurants, including Friday Harbor House, Duck Soup and Backdoor Kitchen. I have shown in national juried exhibitions and my studio is a regular on the San Juan Island Artists’ Studio Tour.