My Story
I am a full-time Studio Potter living, working and teaching in Downingtown, PA. I’m elbow deep in love with all things clay, and my mission is to make your everyday moments beautiful by sharing my experiences in nature in the form of my functional and decorative ceramics, artisan ceramic jewelry and (while we’re traveling), blog posts about our RV adventures.
I am also the creator of the original Bandit Bowl ceramic slow feeder pet bowl for dogs and cats. It took me a while to navigate this detour on my creative journey in clay, but I learned so much along the way - about transitioning my studio practice to (and from) that of a production potter, branding, marketing and more. I also met a lot of great folks (all pet lovers!) along the way.
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My current studio practice is split between the parts of the year when we travel and when we’re at home. While we travel, I create jewelry from my ceramic beads and lay the foundation for my colored porcelain designs, drawing inspiration from all the beautiful moments I experience in nature on our RV adventures. When I’m home, I open my studio up to mentor clay enthusiasts, teach classes, and help others on their journey in clay. In my home studio, I produce small batches of Bandit Bowls and my traditional functional pottery, and create new colored porcelain work and beads using the canes I design while I’m away. No matter where I am or what I’m making, I’m always enjoying the creative process!
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To me, there’s something magical in a pot. It’s essence simultaneously envelopes the energy of the earth and the maker, and that of the many potters who have come before. In making ceramic art, I cultivate my connection to all of these energetic forces and am made whole.
The wheel is my happy place, so most of my work begins there and goes on to be fired in soda, oxidation, alternative or raku kilns. My firing schedules, tweaked over years of experimentation, lend unique surface characteristics to my work.
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I relish in the seemingly limitless possibilities clay offers an artist for exploration and self-expression, and I love to share my passion for pottery!
Please subscribe to my website blog and YouTube channel (@SusanOHanlonPotteryLLC), and follow my journey on social media @SusanOHanlonPottery as I play in mud with endless curiosity and joyful abandon.
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My Art as Activism piece on Climate Change
PLAN{et} B Ain’t Pretty
A Collaborative Sculpture by Susan O’Hanlon, Ceramic Artist and John Cargill, Wood Artist
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Approx. Dimensions: 9” H x 30” W x 15” D
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Available for Purchase and for Educational Purposes
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@ 2017 Susan O’Hanlon and John Cargill. All rights reserved. Photo by Michael Fleck
I make my living from the earth, and I am committed to sustainability in my personal life and in my studio practice. I create sustainable products, package them with 100% biodegradable or 100% post-consumer products whenever possible, and manage my studio with careful consideration of my environmental impact.
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PLAN{et} B Ain't Pretty is a very special piece that I created in collaboration with wood artist John Cargill IV. By day, John is a Hydrogeologist, working on environmental remediation projects for the State of Delaware.
PLAN{et} B Ain’t Pretty has won several awards since it’s first showing in 2017, and has helped me to promote awareness for The Sunrise Movement, a nationwide youth-led climate justice organization co-founded by one of our incredible children.
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I look forward to creating more work like this that speaks to my values and my passions for bringing about a kinder, gentler and more caring world where we all recognize the value each of us brings to our planet and our collective consciousness.
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