APRIL 2019 | denverlifemagazine.com 43
How it all began... In high school, the father of
one of my friends was a potter, and his lifestyle
inspired me. I chose a college that had a good
academic reputation but also an excellent
clay facility—Albion College in Michigan. I was
fortunate to have a professor who placed me
in a pottery apprenticeship after my first year,
and again after my senior year. I had lots of
opportunities to build kilns and experiment, so
I had a strong foundation. From there I chose
to go my own way. I moved to Durango in
1989, and in ’95 I built my own studio and set
about creating a full-time life around pottery. I
was able to sell what I made right away, while
experimenting and growing my work. I moved
to Denver in December of 2013 and opened my
studio in the Dry Ice Factory in RiNo.
His process The driving force of my work is
the desire to make pots that are ancient and
modern at the same time. When I go to the
Denver Art Museum, I love the second level
of the North Building—the Native American
floor. It has some amazing baskets and pots
that have really contemporary designs but are
actually ancient. I love that. I’m attempting to
do that in my own right, which requires a lot
of experimenting. I’m not a conceptual artist
who draws everything out and then pursues.
I’m more of a trial-and-error artist who has an
idea and sees it through to fruition, finding
out what does and doesn’t work and slowly
coming to understand the form and pattern
and how they integrate.
His inspiration Even though I’m inspired by
ancient forms—bells and boxes and ceremo-
nial vases—I want my forms to be as contem-
porary as possible. My glazes, on the other
hand, can reflect more of an ancient patina
look. I use a gas kiln, which gives a very dif-
ferent glaze than an electric kiln. But even
though the glazes insinuate age, I don’t want
my pots to look old. I consider myself a mod-
ernist. That creates a kind of tension. I want
people to ask, “Is this something dug out of
a tomb, or made last week in RiNo?” That’s
what I’m interested in—that tension for the
eye. I’m trying to keep the viewer curious.
Where he shows his work I have galleries all
over the country, so people can see my work in
many places, and online. My gallery represen-
tation is stronger on the East Coast than out
West. I have no gallery affiliation in Denver,
though I’ll be exhibiting at the Cherry Creek
Arts Festival this summer. But I really encour-
age people to come to my studio in RiNo if
they’re interested in purchasing work. All my
contact information is on my website, and I’m
happy to meet anyone by appointment.
Peter Karner Pottery
3300 Walnut St., #107
peterkarnerpottery.comStay, Eat, Relax
1717 Champa Street | Denver, Co 80202 | 303.294.3023
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