We were lucky to catch up with Carla Mchattie recently and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, Carla thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Learning the craft is often a unique journey from every creative – we’d love to hear about your journey and if knowing what you know now, you would have done anything differently to speed up the learning process.
I was 14 when I learned to make pots from Peter Leach in St. Paul MN. I overheard Peter, our neighbor, asking my brother if he was interested in learning to throw, and after my brother said no, I jumped in with an enthusiastic yes. I spent three summers as Peter’s apprentice in my teens, went on to study Studio Art in College, and Ceramics with Ted Vogel and Victoria Christen at Lewis and Clark College in Portland Oregon. Continued to study after college with Stephen Mickey, Don Sprague, and Jan Edwards at MHCC. I still feel like I am engaged in a continuous study of the craft.
Clay was an instant love for me. My most valuable learning happened in the first three years working with Peter Leach. I wish that time had been longer and that I had been more aware of its value as a teen. The years after I tried other career paths but Clay had my heart. I worked at crappy jobs for way too long that were an immense waste. I had a hard time making enough money to live on and have extra time to make art, and a space to make it. Now there are more studios that rent space to work with clay, and space and time spent working are It. Getting to the place where your other needs are met and you can relax into your studio time and create is the most essential thing. It was not easy then, and it is not easy now to get there but we must. Without artists making art our world would lack richness, and sparkle. What else can slow us down to engage in beauty, and help our eyes to notice.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
My name is Carla McHattie and I run Almond Avenue: Ceramics, Floral, and Food. Functional pottery is the heartbeat of my business, and is the base for my floral and food style. I draw inspiration from the energy of movement and the celebration of coming together to share experiences that flow into slow solo moments of calm.
I started Almond Avenue when Covid left me without a job. I knew I had a valuable marketable skill, so I held my breath and jumped. I now do food and floral for events using ceramics, and sell my pottery in shops and select markets. Much of my business is custom projects for businesses, private clients, and chefs. I have never had a better boss than myself, and the absolute bliss of getting credit for your hard work is everything. Even managing the inevitable slip ups with grace and humility is a worthy challenge and often results in great client relationships.
My work is both classic and energetic, and I avoid trends in pursuit of what is truly timeless. I am part of a long tradition of hard working masters and I aspire to be counted among them. My most influential teacher was Perter Leach, who studied under Warren MacKenzie, who was a student of Shoji Hamada. The way I make pots is rooted in the passage of techniques from teacher to student, and the influence of my teachers is evident in my work.
My interest in floral comes from home. My father is an avid rose gardener, my mom and Nan Skelton my neighbor (And Peter Leach’s wife) grow just about everything else that survives in Minnesota. I was raised surrounded by and caring for these plants. I am drawn to the beauty and sculptural perfection of growing things, and find calm there. I strive to bring this calm yet energetic beauty to the food and floral I create. It also makes for a gorgeous Instagram @_almond_ave_ so that is also helpful.
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
So many people have thought they knew what was best for me. I have gotten bad advice and unhelpful feedback, and it can be hard to ignore when it comes from people you respect. Great advice can also come from unexpected sources, like difficult people. I have learned to engage with everyone with respect and to take it or leave it on your own. I recall a younger Carla that was full of leading questions and was more rigid like I knew all the answers. I now know I never will, and to always listen and be ready to evolve. I got a second chance to make a first impression with a potter I deeply respect a few years back, luckily they forgot the time I interviewed to be her assistant and we can laugh about it now as friends.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
The truth about art is that if nobody is buying it art will disappear. We are paying to live our lives in the same spaces as you are and it is more and more of a struggle for all makers. I am as guilty as anyone when I run out of diapers for my kid and go online for a quick buy. All this speed is taking the richness out of our days. So if we all put down the screens, and purchase with our eye on what holds real beauty and is therefore valuable we can all breath a bit easier going forward.
Art itself is inspired by our lives. Make it a priority to experience beautiful things and people. All of us looking at the same screen being fed adds and content may result in a weirdly homogenized aesthetic. Diversity makes everything better. Mix it up.
All of us should use our hands to make stuff! Sometimes appreciation for something comes from dabbling and finding joy in that. Get uncomfortable. Grow your brain. Never stop.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://almondave.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_almond_ave_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carla.mchattie
