Handcrafted Pottery
How handcrafted pottery started for Marie
Mostly I am self-taught in handcrafted pottery, initially spurred on by an intense curiosity for the craft. I enrolled my pregnant butt in a class at the local Recreation Centre in 1992 and haven’t been able to stop since.

Marie’s Story
Throughout my formative years, I grew up in a small town in Wells, BC, Canada, while the oldest of four kids and the only girl. The majority of my childhood years were spent on our father’s placer lease with my hands in the mud.
I graduated from UNBC with a degree in Forestry in 2005 and my ‘real job’ sees me working as a Silviculture Forester in the beautiful Quesnel Forest District. This job allows me to spend many hours trumping around in cut blocks and plantations, avoiding bears and mosquitos, but being in awe of mother nature and all it has to offer.
Pre-pandemic, I would attend local pottery workshops when time allowed and now in the world of social media, I find a lot of inspiration and many opportunities for fueling my passion and developing my skill in online forums.
There have been many hobbies, passions, and obsessions that have come and gone during my lifetime, but the clay has always been, and I hope will continue to be, a common thread.
Inspiration comes from so many different sources but mainly from nature. I am also inspired by a love of cooking, friends, family and customers who come to me with their ideas. Also, I have a passion for gardening, bike riding, hiking in the alpine, and spending time in the backyard.
When I am not potting I spend my free time gardening, bike riding, hiking in the alpine, and spending time in my backyard with many chickens.
I am a daughter, sister, mother, mother-in-law, grandma and wife in varying priorities on whichever day. My flock of chickens is too large, but I love them dearly with my incredibly supportive husband. None of this would be possible without his unending patience as well as his coop-building skills.
Previous Venues:
My pottery has been available in many locations over the years:
Quesnel Art Gallery (Quesnel, BC)
The Breeze Goldsmith and Art (Now closed)
Studio 2880 (Prince George, BC)
Gardenside Pottery (Vallance Pottery) Clinton, BC
Campbells Honey and Meadery (Chilliwack, BC)
Skitch (Whistler BC)
Nestel Pottery (1775 Jade St Quesnel, BC) New November 2020
I often attend the following craft fairs:
UNBC Artisans of the North (UNBC, Prince George, BC)
Medieval Market (Williams Lake, BC)
Quesnel Christmas Farmer’s Market (Quesnel BC)
Billy Barker Days Gold Dust Mall (Quesnel, BC)
I want to produce functional wares with a sense of design and occasional wonder. I am pleased when people wonder about a piece and then smile once they learn its purpose. I want people to enjoy using my work and have a sense of pleasure when they feel it in hand and touch it to lip.



Address
1775 Jade Road, Quesnel, BC, Canada