By Ron Evans
Mijanou Fortney is a potter and art teacher based in Leavenworth. She’s the owner and sole employee of MF Pottery, and stationed in a one hundred year old renovated barn at Tierra Learning Center, she produces goods of all sorts out of clay. The polished curves and bold geometry of her pottery portrays a certain confidence and understanding of the craft. And it took her a long time to get where she is.
“It took me a long time to get where I am.”
Told you.
She moved around a lot in her 20s and 30s. Everywhere she lived (ME, CA, MT, UT, WA) she would either find a ceramic studio that was open to the public or take a class at a community college or university, (MSU, College of the Redwoods, USU).
“Between having other jobs and starting a family I always found time to practice throwing pots, experimenting with shapes and forms and learning about surface design and glazing. I learned the production side of pottery while working at Fire Hole Pottery in Bozeman, MT. I started there as an apprentice mopping the floors and packing up pots as they were unloaded from the kiln and by the end of the two plus years I was glazing and making various slab forms. Everything came together when my family moved to Leavenworth. Shortly after we arrived, an opportunity to revive a dormant pottery studio in the “art barn” at Tierra Learning Center arose. I opened the studio to the public and at first I offered beginner pottery classes and open studio access to people who had previous experience. When I felt like my own work was solid enough I began to sell pots at the Leavenworth Farmer’s Market. Through word of mouth and community connections I started doing wholesale orders for local businesses. Seven years later I am still learning the trade and trying to grow my business.”
Was it a winding road to arrive at pottery? Were there interests in other art/craft styles along the way?
I have dabbled with many art forms and mediums for fun but working with clay has been my main thing and the only one I have ever made money doing. I have always loved drawing. My notebooks from high school and college always had more drawings than words. I usually bring a sketchbook and markers around with me.
A few years ago I learned the basics of screenprinting from my friend and artist Kaspar Heinrici. He and his wife Ali came to Leavenworth for a month long Tierra Arts residency. Collaborating with other artists that specialize in different mediums brings me joy and keeps the creativity flowing. During the pandemic I have been experimenting with watercoloring and painting.
What is it that speaks most to you about the process of ceramics?
I studied Anthropology in college and have always been intrigued by the ancestry and continuing evolution of the craft of ceramics. I spend a lot of time thinking about how people have been creating pots all over the world for thousands of years, first as a necessity and then developing into an art. I like taking a lump of clay and turning it into something that someone will use everyday. I like when random people tell me they drink their coffee or tea out of an MF Pottery mug every morning.
Is there one singular part of that process you enjoy maybe a bit more (or less) than others?
There are so many steps in the process of making a pot. Each step requires a type of focus and intentionality. Some steps are more tedious than others. Throwing pots on the wheel and carving patterns and designs into the clay are two of my favorite parts of the process. There are times while working on large orders when I start to feel like a machine. In those moments I try to focus on the meditative qualities to the repetitiveness. Loading and unloading the kiln is another part of the process that I enjoy. It is fun finding a way to fit all the pots. It’s like tetris or bagging groceries. The business and marketing side of the process is my least favorite. I don’t spend enough time working on it and get angsty when I sit down at a computer. I have a lot to learn still in this area.
When working on new ideas do you start with any sketching or plotting in 2D or do you just reach for the clay and see where it goes?
Both. When I sit down with a customer to talk about designs I sketch the idea on paper. When new ideas come to me I will draw them in my sketchbook. From there, I go from the drawing to the clay. It can take many attempts to get the right shape/size for a new piece. I prototype and fail. I have made so many coffee cones that now have plants in them. I have learned to not get attached.
Are you making (selling) one item more than others?
Mugs. Always mugs, with mountains or bicycles or fish or a logo from a local business. The ‘resist’ mug is still a bestseller.
I recently saw one of your teapots in Salt Creek Apothecary in Wenatchee. Is crafting a teapot by hand as tricky as it seems it would be?
Teapots are the ultimate challenge for a potter. They take forever to make. They have so many parts that have to be attached and dried evenly. The teapots at Salt Creek Apothecary are all hand built. Almost everything else I make is thrown on the wheel.
Where do you sell your pieces?
I sell my pots online through instagram and my website and through word of mouth. If you want to buy something from a brick and mortar you can find my pottery at Sage Mountain Natural Foods, Argonaut Espresso Bar, Tumwater Bakery, 97 Rock House, WAHI yoga store, Yodelin, Dilly Dally Yarn Shop/Prey’s Fruit Barn, Salt Creek Apothecary, The Plant Ally, Infuse Organics. I will have a booth at the Leavenworth Farmer’s Market sometime this summer as well.
Do you ever produce works for fine art galleries?
No but maybe someday.
I have seen company logos and personalized graphics on some of your pottery. Do you do custom/commissioned work often?
Yes I do custom orders all the time. My product line includes place settings, tea sets, vases, utensil holders, wine chillers, plant pots and other items.
For fellow ceramicists (is that even the term) or tool nerds out there, what kind of clays, tools and other paraphernalia do you typically use?
The white clay I use most is a mix of stoneware and porcelain. It is easy to throw and smooth like butter. This clay is great for carving and creating texture on the piece. The glazes I use work well on the white clay body. I have recently been using a speckled stoneware clay too. The iron speckles show through the lighter color glazes. This clay is great for hand building pieces like teapots or plant hangers. This clay is quite gritty and it tears up my hands when I throw too much with it.
Some of my favorite tools are from Diamond Core tools. They make a variety of tools used to carve clay in order to create designs or add texture.
Have you hosted classes on pottery?
One of the great things about this craft is the community that it creates. Unlike with other art forms, most people don’t do pottery at home. They need a studio with the equipment and supplies to go to. Right away when I opened the studio and started teaching, the classes filled up. People who had taken a class in high school or college came in to work independently on their own projects. I have met and connected with so many people through my studio. I share the barn with Mountain Sprouts preschool. I have done a few projects with the kids including tile projects and pressing plants and other things from nature into the clay. I teach after school art classes and workshops to kids of all ages. Older kids can attend the open studio hours and work independently. I have been hosting and teaching participants from the TRAILS (Tierra’s Recreation Arts and Independent Life Skills) Program for the last five or six years (besides this past year). The participants are adults with developmental differences and they bring so much creativity to the studio. I don’t even have to teach them anymore, they come with their own ideas and I am there to guide them. My studio and practice has grown and evolved over the last seven years. With all of the interest in classes and studio time, I quickly outgrew the original studio space tucked in the back corner of the barn. Thankfully Mountain Sprouts, the preschool I share the barn with, needed more space too and the barn was remodeled in 2017 to expand the preschool program and the pottery studio. Classes and open studio have been on hold for the last year but in May the studio will once again be open to the public. There will be classes, workshops, and open studio hours for kids and adults. I’m looking forward to providing a creative outlet for people again. Creativity through art is such an important piece of mental health and it has been hard to not share my space with people. I have also very much enjoyed the solitude.
Where can people shop or follow your work online?
