Fairview Studios

Daaven enrolled in his first pottery class at Fairview Studios with the idea that it might be a fun “date night” with his wife. That first class ignited a clay fire in Daaven that keeps burning more each day. With an education background in both Fine Arts and Science at the University of Manitoba, Daaven had long been searching for the perfect way to combine his love for creating with his technical tendencies. He often finds himself going down pottery educational “rabbit holes” fed by the desire to learn everything he can about the craft.

Daaven is a master with crystalline glazes, and, over the last few years, has developed several unique and beautiful combinations. . The marriage of art and science involved in crystalline glazing suits his personality perfectly.

Daaven’s passion for wheel-throwing and development of glazes is mirrored by the joy he gets teaching. His desire to help students achieve their goals and the pleasure he gets seeing his students reach new heights is the reason Daaven decided to purchase Fairview Studios. Daaven looks forward to growing the studio to sharing his love for pottery with more people.

Dave got started in ceramics as a path to a degree at Kansas State University.  After completing his degree, and following four years in the US navy, Dave ended up in Calgary in the early 1970s.  Dave is the original owner of Ceramics Canada, which was, at the time, a Polynesian drink-ware manufacturing facility.  Dave shifted his business focus to pottery supply and a recreational pottery class facility.  In the early 1990s Dave opened Fairview Studios, a facility offering pottery classes along with functional utilitarian pottery supply, servicing 16 stores in Western Canada. Dave has made ceramics for dignitaries around the world, and some of his work is in the Glenbow Museum’s permanent collection. “After many years of maintaining a living as a functional potter,” Dave says, “I enjoy passing on anything I learned along the way to new pottery enthusiasts. New students are always bringing forth new ideas in pottery.”

Clare, a native Calgarian, was first introduced to ceramics in high school art class. Although she didn’t have the opportunity to continue with Ceramics after school, Clare kept her pottery tools for over 35 years. When she found Fairview Studios, she soon became a “regular”. Ten years later Clare continues to enjoy her time making functional, wheel thrown ware and being part of the supportive and creative Fairview Studios community as an instructor. Over the years Clare has taken workshops with various ceramic artists, including Sara Jaeger, Connie Pike, Meira Matheson and Bill Wilkie, and enjoys experimenting with new forms and decorating techniques.

Michelle Is a skilled recreational potter. She recently retired from the corporate world to dedicate more time to creating beautiful, functional pots that enhance everyday life. Born and raised near Calgary, Michelle I studied ceramics in high school but only returned to working in ceramics in 2015 when she enrolled in a pottery class at Fairview Studios. She quickly became enamored with all things clay and has been with the studio ever since.

“Ceramics has endless possibilities,” Michelle notes, adding, “I am continuously advancing my skill level and developing my style and love to help others on their journey. The studio is a place to reset in a collaborative environment. I strive to make it that place for my students as well.”

Amanda began working with clay at Fairview Studios for the first time in 2016, and has enjoyed discovering, learning, and growing along the way. As our kiln manager, Amanda is Fairview’s de facto Jenga master, and heat wrangler. As an instructor, teaching others how to enhance their foundational skills, and helping them learn more advanced techniques is important to her. She is eager to share the many tough lessons she has learned from clay over the years.

Sonja began pottery in 2016 at Fairview Studios when her partner signed up for classes for date night.  On her first night, she says she made nothing but a mess. But she was hooked! Since that first day, Sonja has made the transition to working full time as a potter who spends as much time as possible with clay running through her hands. Sonja is the newest addition to Fairview’s teaching team. “ I will use my background in education and passion for pottery to help you develop your craft in a supportive and positive environment,” she says.

Sonja’s work is at @cumulus.clay on Instagram.

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