MEET OUR INSTRUCTORS AND VOLUNTEERS
The instructors at Cowee Pottery School are experienced and passionate artists who love sharing their skills and knowledge with all our guests. Above all, we’re a family of creative minds who are bound by an undying passion for the arts. Come in and meet us today!
DOUG HUBBS
Wheel
Doug Hubbs was born in Franklin, North Carolina and has lived here in the mountains his entire life. He attended Western Carolina University in the early 70’s and studied mathematics and art. While raising his family he worked as an electrical contractor but remained a dreamer, architect, potter, storyteller and black belt food consumer.
Doug teaches pottery at Southwestern Community College and also Cowee Pottery School. He lives with his wife Patti in the Burningtown community. He loves making pots!
MARIA GREENE
hand building and wheel
Maria Greene moved from Georgia to Cowee Valley in 2010. She has had a life long interest in the arts in particular working with clay. She enjoys both wheel and hand building pottery. Maria was instrumental in helping to organize CPS.
HANK SHULER
hand building and wheel
Hank Shuler has been playing with clay for nearly 20 years and holds a Master Potters Certificate from Southwestern Community College.
“I could never be a production potter because I could never settle on any single aspect of pottery. I love wheel throwing, hand-building and sculpting. I love working in various finishes like sgrafitto, resisting, carving, spraying glazes and painting them. And I get great satisfaction in seeing my students grow. Teaching them wheel throwing, sculpting, simple and complex hand- building, and how to recover a piece they thought was a wash-out is great fun.
Tamara Hathaway
Hand building
My first experience with success as an artist was in first grade. My painting was chosen to be displayed in the Toledo Art Museum. This began a life long love of art. As a young mother I took sewing classes and made all my daughter’s Halloween costumes. I experimented with mixed media art, repurposing objects that were broken, beautiful and objects that held meaning for me. Four years ago I took pottery classes and I was hooked. I love having my art displayed at our local Uptown Gallery and the people I’ve met along the way have been so encouraging. I also am a budding photographer. I am so excited to be a part of Cowee Pottery School and looking forward to sharing my eclectic style with students. I hope to continue making strange and wonderful pottery the rest of my life.
KAREN SMITH
hand building