Natural light streams into Bettina Chow’s pottery studio, filtered through a carob tree just outside the window. “The light is pretty and inspiring and romantic,” she says. Largely self-taught, Chow, a researcher and educator in the health-care industry, has been throwing pots for about eight years and still feels humbled when someone wants to buy her work. “I absolutely love working with clay. The process is meditative, and the results are beautiful. I love connecting with the earth and transforming it.”
Chow works in her home studio nearly every day. “I sit down at the wheel, turn on a podcast or music, and get to work,” she says. “And I always throw barefoot.” She enjoys each stage, from shaping rough clay into a piece of pottery to opening the kiln and revealing the finished product. Chow’s pottery, often glazed in rustic earth tones, has an exquisite simplicity that reflects her calm demeanor.
On any given day, Chow works on commissioned pieces, including pots, vases, plates and other vessels. Oftentimes, a client will ask for a number of pieces in all shapes and sizes. “There’s a lot of freedom in that. I still get to experiment and play and connect with my creative side,” she says. An avid hiker, Chow is frequently inspired by nature. On a recent hike, she spotted fallen saguaro blooms blackened by fire and reproduced them in the studio.
Chow teaches pottery classes at local PIP Coffee + Clay and often tells her eager students that making pottery isn’t as easy as it looks. She gently tells them to lower their expectations and just enjoy the process. “There’s a thousand ways to ruin a piece of pottery, and there’s only a handful of ways to make it right.”
Find Chow’s work at Camelback Flower Shop, on camelbackflowershop.com or @bettinachowpottery on Instagram.
CLAY
Chow uses a wedging technique with her hands to prepare clay lumps, ridding the material of inconsistencies.
SCALE
When making commissioned pieces, the artist cuts and weighs the clay for uniformity.
IN-PROGRESS PIECES
Unfinished pottery sits on the counter waiting to be fired and glazed.
POTTER’S WHEEL
Using a pottery wheel, Chow shapes clay into a small vessel.
COMPLETED PIECES
Finished pottery lines the counter in Chow’s studio.
