Joel Lopez

functional pottery

Joel is passionate about pottery-making and fly fishing; those are his two "loves", and they both require focus and determination. He was born and raised in Oregon, and was introduced to pottery in a third-grade art segment where he made a “pinch pot” with his teacher’s supervision. She now collects Joel’s work 

He was reintroduced to pottery in high school where he had the good fortune of being taught by a ‘master potter’. 

Joel’s skill with clay excelled when he took art classes at TVCC in Oregon, where his fascination with clay really bloomed. It was at TVCC where he was first introduced to the technique of Raku which has become a lifelong passion and which he is still innovating. He became a “studio rat” helping out and lingering after class to assist the teacher. He is still intrigued with the idea of taking a lump of clay and creating stunning and useful art from it. 

Joel taught wheel-thrown pottery as an adult education instructor at the Springville Art Museum in Springville, UT, and he was also an assistant teacher of pottery at BYU in Provo, UT, where he continued to perfect the Raku technique. Joel has also taught  private lessons at several locations in Tennessee.

Being involved in the creative process is a ‘whole person’ experience, with the mind taking the lead, and the well-trained hands finishing the process. Mingling with other artists and admiring their work is often a spring-board for his creativity. Curiosity leads to experimentation, and the results can be exhilarating -- or devastating. Opening the kiln is always preceded by a bit of excitement and anticipation. 

Joel’s vision for his pottery is for it to not only be useful, but to also be beautiful to the touch and pleasing to the eye! His byline is: “From my hands to yours: I hope you enjoy your new piece as much as I did in creating it.”

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Available Works