Shana

Rooted in Clay

Shana's Bio

Shana Brautigam was born in 1983. Raised in the countryside of Durham, NH, she was surrounded by beautiful forests, farms, fields, and rivers. Her affinity for the natural world developed at an early age. She spent her free time playing outside and walking down to the river to sit and watch the water flow. From the age of three, Shana participated in summer art classes taught by her mother on their back porch. She was able to express her creativity and experiment with many media including painting, drawing, batik, collage, and clay. Shana developed a passion for the process of creating art and continued to explore many art forms.

Shana was drawn to explore clay more deeply when she was 10 years old and decided to take wheel throwing lessons from a local potter. The process of forming wet earth into a utilitarian pot intrigued her. She loved centering herself on the wheel and focusing her energy into the clay. Throughout high school Shana continued working with clay. In the summer of 2000, Shana found a local pottery couple, Tim and Theresa Christensen-Kirby of Muddy Bird Pottery, who took her under their wing. She went to the pottery studio looking for a place where she could spend time throwing on the wheel and have her work fired. A curiosity lingered in the back of her mind about the life of a potter. What she found at Muddy Bird pottery were two incredible people who were energetic and fairly new to the pottery business. Days in the studio brought satisfaction and fascination as she worked towards throwing better pots and witnessed the daily life of a potter. Tim and Theresa taught her immensely about the craft and running a pottery business. They also provided encouragement, strengthening her confidence in her pots.

The other driving force leading Shana to pursue pottery as a profession was her partner Ethan Hamby. Early in their relationship she introduced him to clay. The fire that ignited inside Ethan was impressive and inspirational. He was so dedicated to learning how to make pots on the wheel that he worked at it daily. He wanted to soak up as much clay and knowledge of it as he could. Ethan learned quickly and soon he had skills comparable to those Shana had developed after 8 years of clay exploration. She loved to work side by side with him, sharing ideas and their passion for clay. The following year they moved in together and focused on pottery full-time. It was in January 2003 that Shana and Ethan formed Rooted in Clay.

Artist Information

Rooted in Clay's Resume

Ethan's Bio

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Rooted in Clay 208 Middle Winchendon Rd. Rindge NH 03461 (603)899-3120