Wheelhouse Pottery

About Shirley Odsather

Shirley's grandmother learned to work with clay in Victoria, B.C., Canada in the 1930s. Although Shirley was not directly taught by her grandmother, she feels that the awareness of her grandmother's clay objects influences her fascination with pottery.

In 1970, Shirley began attending Ceramics classes at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. She established her own studio in 1977 and was later invited to teach Beginning Ceramics classes at UAF. She has also taught pottery in Yakutsk, Sakha, Russia.

After a few trials and errors during construction, Shirley fired her new gas kiln in 2007. The results of that and subsequent firings have been a source of joy and amazement.

Influenced by her degree in Biology, she constantly uses her knowledge of geology, chemistry and biology in her studio. Shirley enjoys finding and experimenting with natural Alaskan and Yukon Territory clays, developing new glazes and allowing nature to contribute to her shapes and designs.

*Photo by Sarah Bundtzen