Jeffrey Hanks

Pottery, Decorative Ceramics
Jeffrey has worked with clay for 37 years. He began as an apprentice to Bay Area potter Denah Griffiths, herself a student of Marguerite Wildenhain at Pond Farm on the Russian River. Marquerite had a wide and enduring influence on potters up and down the west coast. In his five year apprenticeship with Denah he learned many of the same techniques, methods and philosophy of the craft taught at Pond Farm.

He earned his BA degree in art at Humboldt State University learning kiln design, kiln building, various firing techniques as well as clay and glaze formulation. Following school he worked for one year in a production ceramics factory as a jiggerman and thrower.

In 1982 he was hired as a pottery instructor and craft shop director at Camp Norwester on Lopez Island. He was one of the founding members of Chimera Gallery on Lopez in 1987. Chimera is a thriving artist run non-profit gallery as of 2011. In 1990 he purchased land and established Red House Pottery on the south end of Lopez.

In the fall of 2008 Jeffrey and his wife Jean founded Anchor Art Space a contemporary art gallery in Anacortes Washington.

He currrently produces work in high fired stoneware and porcelain and saggar fired decorative vases and bottles using local kelp as a fuming agent for color.

His work can be seen and purchased at Chimera Gallery on Lopez Island Wa, Anchor Art Space in Anacortes WA and at Crow Valley Pottery on Orcas Island, As well as at the Lopez Is. Farmers Market and at his Red House Pottery studio. Samples of his work can be viewed at redhousepottery.com on the web.
jhh@redhousepottery.com :email