Meet the Instructors:
Erika Rier is an interdisciplinary artist who has focused mostly on works-on-paper, textiles, and zines until 2019 when she began exploring handbuilt ceramics. Erika's work explores the intersection of politics and history with modern aesthetics and playful design. She has one of each of the following: a husband, a daughter, a fluffy cat, and a black cat.
IG: erika_rier
It was love at first sight when Carina first found clay while struggling through an undergraduate degree in painting. She swapped clay for painting and never looked back! 15 years later, she’s worked as an arts educator and administrator and is finally working full-time as an artist. Carina loves teaching and believes in finding joy in the processes of learning something new. When her hands aren’t in clay, you can find her hiking, teaching herself Spanish, and doting on her houseplants and cat.
IG: carinakooiman
Angela found her way to clay through archaeology, where she had the opportunity to study and catalog ancient pottery as an undergrad before switching her focus in grad school to study plants in the archaeological record. After a long interlude living abroad and working as a researcher and educator, Angela dove back into her own art practice in 2021 and fell in love with clay again. Since then, she has combined her love of plants and clay into nature-inspired functional pottery and enjoys inspiring others to get messy and creative. When she isn't working in the studio or teaching an art workshop or yoga, she is outside gardening and exploring the PNW with her twins, husband, and pup Hugo.
Before graduating from the University of Northern Colorado with her degree in ceramic arts, and her Master’s degree in Visual Art & Design, Holly de Saillan discovered her affinity for clay in her high school years. Clay has been her primary mode of artistic expression for over thirty years. Her inspirations come from her observations of the natural world, her travels and the history of ceramic art. Holly strives to allow the organic quality of clay to be a guiding force in her simple yet complex sculptural and functional work. Holly enjoys teaching ceramic workshops in Portland and still teaches Art Appreciation at Haywood Community College, NC remotely. Holly relocated to Oregon in 2020 and now happily resides in SE Portland, Oregon with her partner, her cat and Renard, a little dog recently adopted. She maintains studio space at Stark Street Ceramic studio.
Courtney Maulding moved from Houston, TX to the PNW in 2024. She is a ceramic artist who has been working with clay since 2019. She studied photography, ceramics, and cyanotype at University of Houston - Clearlake as an undergrad BFA student and quickly fell in love with these art forms. Courtney thought it would be great to combine cyanotype and ceramics together. She now loves to create sculptures and slab built forms out of porcelain and prints her photographs using the cyanotype method. Courtney uses her intuition to alter and combine slab and wheel thrown parts. Her work engages with conceptual ideas and carries personal meaning that continues to evolve throughout her life. She is passionate in ceramic education and continues to share that with others. Not only does Courtney teach a variety of ceramics classes but she is also a studio technician at Mount Hood Community College. She is currently working on a portfolio so she can eventually apply to graduate school for an MFA degree in ceramics. Courtney also loves to hike, cook delicious food, and read lots of books! She enjoys hanging out with her husband Zack and their two cats Sol and Nova.
Chloë is a Midwest native who relocated to the Pacific Northwest in 2019. Her love for ceramics began 10 years ago while studying illustration in college, where she discovered a new medium to express her creativity. With experience in wheel throwing, slip casting, and handbuilding, Chloë is passionate about working with clay in all its forms. When she's not teaching, you can find her in the studio as the Morning Ceramics Studio Supervisor. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her cat, Egg, and diving into a good book!
Sara Murphy is a working potter whose introduction to ceramics happened as a teenager via pitfired pottery at a city-run family camp in on the south fork of the Tuolumne River. She began working with clay again in 2022 and has been a full-time potter since 2024, following many years working for arts, climate, and outdoor recreation organizations. Sara loves being part of Portland’s ceramics community and is often in the Morning Ceramics studio at the wheel, handbuilding, or admiring member and student work. She is deeply proud of her Filipino heritage and roots in the East Bay. When she isn’t touching clay, Sara can be found growing food in her garden, reading a good book, or talking about her awesome nieces.
IG: calamansi_clay
Elizabeth stumbled into a one-time wheel class in Los Angeles in 2023 and hasn't really stopped thinking about clay since! She relocated to the Pacific Northwest in March 2026 for the forests, fresh air, and inspiration. Her work is character-driven (featuring beans!) and influenced by daily joys and adventures. She adds sculpted beans to her wheel-thrown pieces, loves painting bean scenes in underglaze, and is always exploring new techniques (she loves a good pit fire!). Her favorite part of the craft is how it continues to teach her that mistakes and unmet expectations are often where growth begins. She loves introducing folks to clay and seeing them through the challenges and joys of the ceramic making process. She makes out of her home studio under the close supervision of her senior pup, Billie. When she’s not in the studio or teaching, you can find her trembling on a v4, gazing up at the trees on local trails, and doodling bean scenes.
IG: thebloopbean