Stacie Johnson-Leske : Handcrafting fun and functional works of art

Elk County | Elk Country Landscape of the PA Wilds

Little did Stacie Johnson-Leske know that wandering into a pottery shop in Richmond, Virginia, would change her life for the better. It sparked an interest in her, and she wanted to take lessons after seeing them advertised at the shop. She was given several lessons as a gift, and her love for pottery developed then and there. Over twenty years later, Johnson-Leske has made a business out of the pottery she fell in love with.

Her studio, Your Fired Pottery, is located in Ridgway, PA in the Elk Country landscape of the Pennsylvania Wilds. The studio functions as her workshop and store, and guests visit from all over to see her one-of-a-kind works of art. Pottery pieces of all shapes, colors, sizes, and textures grace the walls and shelves. Her products are microwave-, oven-, and dishwasher-safe, and she loves the fact that her customers can use her creations in their everyday life. It is also why she makes her pieces lighter, so they can be more functional. She does this by using techniques to make the walls thinner, and trim out any unnecessary clay, to make the piece much lighter than a standard piece of pottery.

The colors and styles Johnson-Leske uses in her wheel-thrown pieces are inspired by her time as a ballet dancer and the costumes she wore during that time. Her textured slabwork is heavily influenced by the beauty of the PA Wilds, where she is proud to live and work. After visiting Ridgway during a vacation to explore its Rails to Trails and Clarion River, she fell in love with the area. She decided to move there and call it home.

Her pottery hobby began in 2008, and after five years of training, her work began to be featured in galleries and festivals and she began selling it, ultimately deciding to turn her hobby into a business. “Learn from your mistakes and try again,” she said, reflecting on her own journey. “It took me two years of lessons and practice before making anything worth keeping. It took another three years before my work was marketable.”

Johnson-Leske is a professional juried artisan in the PA Wilds Conservation Shops, where her handmade mugs and location-specific magnets are featured for sale. Customers enjoy being able to “take home a piece of the PA Wilds” that can be used each day for their morning coffee or bring a smile to their face when they glance at the fridge.

On her Facebook page, you can watch videos of Johnson-Leske in her element, creating her specialty mugs from just a blob of clay. Watching her sculpt the clay from start to finish is mesmerizing, a must-see.

Johnson-Leske continues to evolve as an artist, and there is no telling what pottery creations she will dream up and create next.

Stacie Johnson-Leske and her studio, Your Fired Pottery, is a Creative Maker within the PA Wilds Cooperative. Learn more about Stacie Johnson-Leske by visiting her PA Wilds Cooperative profile or by searching the directory at members.pawildscenter.org.