Black Chooks Studio

My name is Anne Fowler and I have been a Pottery for approx 26 years. My studio is located in Mahogany Creek, WA.

People often ask how I got into pottery. So I thought I would share my little funny story.

About 26 years ago I made a mosaic house number, 745 and hung it from out letterbox. But our newspaper delivery man would hurl that paper out of his van with a rugby arm and broke my house number. So again I made another and it also had the same fate.

So I though to myself, I'll fix you. I went down to Jacksons art supplies. A really lovely lady came to serve me and asked, " what can I do for you?". I replied, " I would like a bag of clay. I have no idea what I am doing, but I would like to make a thick solid number that hangs on my letterbox". "No problems", she said. Just then my husband who works away rang. He said, "what are you doing?'. He laughed when I told him.

After I hung up the phone. This sales assistant says to me, " Would you like to buy my pottery wheel for $150?". I though, yeah I could do that. So I rang my husband and told him. While on the phone she says, "actually you can have my whole pottery studio for and extra $100". The whole studio. She was a Tafe lecturer who had become ill.

The next day we took 2 car trips and a trailer to bring it home. Kiln, wheels, every imaginable glaze colour and everything I would possibly need. It took up our 10metre by 8metre shed.

So then the always wise one says, "Well what are you going to do with all this now".

I thought I had better find somewhere to try and learn. I never really was able to use the wheel good. Could never make 2 coffee cups the same actually.

So my journey at hand building began. I think back to what I used to make to where I am now and all I can say if I saw our newspaper man again, I'd say.......thankyou.