Mapleshade Pottery

In 2004, I established Mapleshade Pottery in my home town, Coon Rapids, Iowa.  I had returned to Coon Rapids after a 40-year career in the Air Force and Federal Aviation Administration.  Although trained as an engineer, I had always been interested in ceramics after I took my first pottery class as an undergraduate student at Antioch College.  As I traveled around the U.S. on Air Force assignments, I often took advantage of local opportunities for ceramic and sculpture classes.  My long-term goal was to own and operate a pottery studio.  I accomplished this goal upon my retirement from the Federal Aviation Administration and return to Coon Rapids. 

My artistic focus is on work incorporating designs using Iowa’s native plants.  I have designed a variety of tiles and dinnerware featuring impressions of prairie and woodland plants. I also make functional stoneware, including woven stoneware baskets. 

I am working hard encourage the development of local artisans.  I teach classes to youth and adults in my Coon Rapids studio