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ABOUT
Welcome to Haeuser Pottery
In 1954 on Orcas Island, Julia Crandall and her daughter, Trudy, bought a pottery studio to revive the glorious artisan tradition of pottery by following their passion. Orcas, part of the San Juan Islands archipelago off the Washington State coast is now well known for it’s large artisan community. Julia Crandall began the reputation of Orcas Island Pottery as a place to find beautiful, handcrafted pottery. Her daughter Trudy and her granddaughter Syd, furthered this tradition over the next several decades. The knowledge, skills and techniques passed from generation to generation with each person adding their own style to the art form.
Matt Haeuser, Syd's son, grew up on Orcas and absorbed pottery as if through osmosis. He's the most productive of the 4th generation potters. In 2004, needing some dough to get through college, Matt committed himself to making pottery. His older brother, Aaron Hardy, originally taught him how to throw on the wheel, and his mother, Sydney Exton, gave him his lessons in glazing. He rapidly mastered form and glaze design, creating gorgeous and friendly forms as well as mesmerizing patterns.
He currently lives and works in Los Angeles, where he shares a small studio with ceramic artist Kristy Schaefle on Abbot Kinney Blvd. There, he enjoys teaching small group and one-on-one classes.
If he's not in the studio wedging mounds of clay or spinning it at the wheel, he's off somewhere as a massage therapist, or playing the drums.
Clearly, he enjoys working with his hands.
Matt continues to explore his love for ceramics in original, exciting ways. He devises interesting forms and manipulates tactile textures. He experiments with colors and decorations, often recalling themes from nature. He brims with the passion for creating functional yet beautiful pottery, and he strives to make every piece completely unique.
His body of work evolves each year into finer forms. At times, the process is flowing and therapeutic, other times it's frustrating. When things go the latter way, Matt remembers his grandma's words of wisdom: "It's only clay."
How is pottery made?
Please view these youtube videos if you would like to see some of the process in action: