Studio Potter, Colorado

Michael Wisner, Evolving Tradition; article by D. Wood, Ceramics Art and Perception, No. 63 2006

Michael Wisner shows and teaches nationally. After apprenticing with Jaun Quezada in the village of Mata Ortiz, he has taken the traditional forms and ideas and now makes beautiful modern and contemporary work based on the traditions.  He writes, “Inspired by ancient Anasazi and Mimbres potsherds, I began making southwestern pottery. I dig local clays, in the mountains outside my studio at the Anderson Ranch in Colorado. The clay is filtered to remove rocks and debris and then hand coiled to form each piece. The pottery is then painted with a human hair brush and fired outdoors in an open bonfire. Each pot is a one-of-a-kind hand crafted work of art. Over the past 16 years I have studied extensively with Potters of the American Indian Pueblos and Mata Ortiz Mexico. In 1989 I began an apprenticeship with Juan Quezada that continues today. Each year I spend three to four months working in Juan's village. Juan's artistic genius has been a constant source of inspiration. As Juan watches my art evolve he encourages me to develop this pottery into a contemporary form.”