Hi, I’m Amelia!

Amelia at her potters wheel
Amelia hiking with dog

CANCER SUN, CAPRICORN RISING, TAURUS MOON

HUMAN DESIGN — 2/5 EMOTIONAL PROJECTOR

5 ELEMENTS — EARTH/METAL

Hi, I’m Amelia!

I am a mother and interdisciplinary artist making all the vessels you will find here out of my home studio. I began working with clay in 2008 and haven't really stopped since.

I grew up on ancestral lands of the Abenaki people in Northeasterly Vermont and have since returned to call it home here, after 10 years in Colorado and Washington state. In 2015, while finishing my degree in Environmental Studies at Naropa University, I began selling my pots on the side with no idea I’d be here now…still doing this work for a living. My goal as a potter is (and always has been) to create earthly functional vessels that act as timeless symbols for nourishment, slowness, warmth, and thoughtfulness- made with lots of heart.

When I am not in the studio, you can most often find me chasing around our wiley spirited toddler, in the woods/at the beach with my dog Piper (and Aja in spirit), knitting/sewing, cooking/baking (lots of sourdough), playing tennis, gardening, having solo dance parties to my favorite archival Grateful Dead shows, learning about plant medicine, playing records, or watching re-runs of The Office...for the millionth time :) I feel strongly about practicing compassion (both for self and others) and living a slow lifestyle- which is forever a practice and oftentimes more of a challenge than not. I care deeply for the earth and standing up for the rights of all inhabitants upon it.

Learn more about the process and ethos here.

Influences & Inspirations

Because no artist is without those who came before.

Books

Books

Jayber Crow / This Day

Wendell Berry

Braiding Sweetgrass

Robin Wall Kimmerer

Water Wars

Vandana Shiva

Original Instructions

edited by melissa k. nelson

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

tom robbins

Me and White Supremacy

layla f. saad

Centering

m.c. richards

Parable of the Sower

octavia e. butler

Cold Mountain Poems

gary snyder

Acorn

yoko ono

How to Do Nothing

jenny odell

Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior

chögyam trungpa

Albums

Albums

Nassau Coliseum, May 15 & 16, 1980

grateful dead

Live

erykah badu

Gaucho

steely dan

Deja Vu

csny

Cats Under the Stars

jerry garcia band

Bonnie Raitt

bonnie raitt

Blowout Comb

digable planets

On the Beach

neil young

Aretha Arrives

aretha franklin

Heijira

joni mitchell

A Seat at the Table

solange

Song for Our Daughter

Laura Marling

Spaces

Spaces

abiquiu, new mexico

Homeland of the Apache, Pueblo, and Ute Peoples.

While living in Colorado, I adopted a sort of pilgrimage down to Taos/Abiquiu every year. I began going at a time in my life when I was looking to embrace my independent nature- having a renaissance of self. I decided to go and explore the places where Georgia O’Keeffe lived and painted that felt near and dear to my heart since being a young child surrounded by her work in our home. I went unaware of how more than anything, I connected to Miss O’Keeffe there through the timing of the trip and the way she as well moved west in order to find her footing alongside the natural world. For me she is a pioneer woman in the sense of redefining what it means to be in connection with the landscape as a woman and artist. This place represents that to me. My dog Piper was also found in New Mexico when she was 3 months old- and when we would go she always seemed to soften in a way that seemed like she new she was home.

The Colorado Front Range

Homeland of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, and Ute Peoples.

Douglas Firs, Yucca and Prickly Pear, Big Bluestem Grass, Indian Paintbrush, Big Basin Sagebrush, and Rabbitbrush. This place was home for me for many years while in Boulder. I got to know the trails and plants by walking them nearly everyday with my dog, Piper. Witnessing the seasons shifting- when the grasses would turn dry, prickly pears set fruit, yuccas blossom, aspens light up, and the gumweed oooze goo…The merging of biomes here along the Front Range is an incredibly special place to me.

In many ways I grew into myself here- spending ages 18-24 living in Boulder. I began to see first hand how taking a walk in the natural world was truly the best teacher. Any trying emotion I was feeling could be supported and mended (at the very least, temporarily). My dog walks (in the woods, along the shore, in the desert) have become an incredibly important part of my life, and something I owe much of my mental health to.

Champlain Valley of Vermont

Homeland of the Abenaki People.

I grew up here, just east of Lake Champlain, in the fertile Champlain Valley in Charlotte, Vermont. The ancient rolling mountains with Camels Hump, organic farms and the culture/community they foster, fireflies, creemees, stark seasons, sugarbush, and swimming holes (and of course Champ, the friendly lake monster). I learned how to work on a farm here, tend the earth while growing food for a large community of people. I learned both what a hard, long day of work looked/felt like (as well as the reward), and the importance of supporting local organic farms- how vital they are to an area. I grew up with the New England values of self-reliance, humility, and grit. Vermont will always be home. And was home to many generations of family members before me.

People

People

Agnes Martin

Vandana Shiva

Milton Avery

Maria Martinez

Robert Hunter

The Shakers

Patrice Martin

Grandma Moses

Rosemary Gladstar

Georgia O’Keeffe

Wendell Berry

Ilonka Karasz

Winona LaDuke

Aja Barber

Amy Cutler

Tasha Tudor

Bernie Sanders

Electra, Lillian, Birgit, & Kim

Other

Other

critical conversations with gretchen jones

Gretchen Jones of Weird Specialty is the business Doula. We had a few sessions now over the years, but even after the first I felt more invigorated and inspired than I have in a long time to really look at my business practice/ethos head-on and make some shifts to drop into my authenticity as a creator and entrepreneur. So much is packed into each session- coming from all the angles (spiritual, emotional, economical, social, environmental, physical…). I was surprised to see how much came up for me emotionally- as well as Gretchen’s intuitive powers that were very apparent. I urge (especially those working as a team of one) to not be shy about seeking objective points of view and getting outside perspectives (from trusted and welcomed sources) often! See for yourself.

lovingkindness meditation

Putting in the work for unconditional compassion- both for the self and others. I found this meditation many years ago and it has strengthened my work in this area immensely. Especially to explore/mend the inner voices that tend to be quite hard on myself. I believe in compassion as a religion: something I feel incredibly drawn to understand and practice, despite some days it being harder than others.

mindfulness based therapy

The days where there was a stigma around going to therapy are OVER, people. This has been something keystone to my wellbeing as a business owner, artist, and engaged human. If you have access, I truly believe finding a mindfulness based therapist in your area is the best thing you can do for yourself (and those around us…). We all have demons, many more than we may think…give yourself the space to heal and learn how to truly thrive in a way that is unique to you. For yourself, your partner, your friends, your community.