Blue Spruce Pottery

Artist Statement
It’s gratifying to know that over the years we’ve created pieces, even something as simple as a mug or a bowl, that have
become a part of another’s daily life. We get a joy from knowing that we can take clay, this piece of the Earth, and through our energy and the heat of the firing, transform it into an object that will last for years.

About Artists Michele and Michael Gwinup (Blue Spruce Pottery, Inc.)
Michael and Michele Gwinup’s journey with clay started while attending Western Oregon University in 1974.  Michael was an art major focusing mainly on painting and drawing, until one day when he was invited to visit a professional potter. Seeing the kiln at full temperature, with flames and black smoke pouring out the portholes, he was hooked. He began taking pottery classes, and Michele joined him in the clay studio.  Upon graduation in 1976, they moved to Bend, Oregon and started their pottery business, Blue Spruce Pottery.

Throughout the years, Michael and Michele have always worked together as a team.  They began selling their work at art fairs and festivals, then in 1978 opened their own retail business.  They ran a successful gallery for 15 years, but found that they were spending less and less time in the clay studio, so they sold the gallery and returned to their first love, working in clay.  In 2008, their daughter and son-in-law, Melissa and Patrick Woodman, joined them in their pottery business.  The four of them work from the Gwinup’s home studio, creating decorative Raku vases and lamps, as well as a line of functional stoneware.

Their pottery has been displayed in invitational shows, northwest art galleries, and is in many private collections.  Michael and Michele have given workshops, and lectured on the business of art.  Photos of their work, as well as Michael’s stoneware kiln design, have been published in ceramic books and magazines.

Artist Code: GWINUP