LaDo Pottery - Don and Laura Fethkenher - Pottery
Don: I grew up in a small Iowa town with five brothers and no sisters! My family was rooted in hard work and the respect for others. Starting in our youth, my brothers and I always had a paying job. Whether it was delivering newspapers, shoveling snow or mowing grass for the neighbors, we were always busy. As a very small boy I would often take off and go to my grandparent’s greenhouse to play in the “dirt”, even in the winter. This was the beginning of my love for the earth and especially clay.
When making pottery, I search for poised forms and surfaces that are textured, colorful, and enhance well designed work.
My studio partner is my wife Laura who also makes pottery. Her line of pottery is unique from mine. From start to finish we enjoy the process of creating an assortment of pieces in our studio. Pottery has given new meaning and more joy in our lives. Together we started LaDo Pottery.
Laura: I grew up in the San Francisco Bay area back in a time before it was known as Silicon Valley. Like my husband, I also grew up in a big happy family with six children. After raising a family of my own and experiencing several life adventures along the way, I landed in beautiful Flagstaff, Arizona. Looking for a new hobby, I decided to take a ceramics class at Coconino Community College. That is where I learned the art of pottery making and it is also where I met my husband, Don Fethkenher. He just happened to be the instructor of the class! Well, with a mutual love of art, music, nature and family we found a wonderful bound with each other and the rest is history.
My pottery pieces are an outward expression of my need to be creative. I love “playing in the clay” and like my husband, it has now become my passion. I try to make pieces that are not only beautiful, but are functional as well.
Don: I grew up in a small Iowa town with five brothers and no sisters! My family was rooted in hard work and the respect for others. Starting in our youth, my brothers and I always had a paying job. Whether it was delivering newspapers, shoveling snow or mowing grass for the neighbors, we were always busy. As a very small boy I would often take off and go to my grandparent’s greenhouse to play in the “dirt”, even in the winter. This was the beginning of my love for the earth and especially clay.
When making pottery, I search for poised forms and surfaces that are textured, colorful, and enhance well designed work.
My studio partner is my wife Laura who also makes pottery. Her line of pottery is unique from mine. From start to finish we enjoy the process of creating an assortment of pieces in our studio. Pottery has given new meaning and more joy in our lives. Together we started LaDo Pottery.
Laura: I grew up in the San Francisco Bay area back in a time before it was known as Silicon Valley. Like my husband, I also grew up in a big happy family with six children. After raising a family of my own and experiencing several life adventures along the way, I landed in beautiful Flagstaff, Arizona. Looking for a new hobby, I decided to take a ceramics class at Coconino Community College. That is where I learned the art of pottery making and it is also where I met my husband, Don Fethkenher. He just happened to be the instructor of the class! Well, with a mutual love of art, music, nature and family we found a wonderful bound with each other and the rest is history.
My pottery pieces are an outward expression of my need to be creative. I love “playing in the clay” and like my husband, it has now become my passion. I try to make pieces that are not only beautiful, but are functional as well.