A Talented Pottery Maker Lives in La Crescenta

Meet Mike Flower, local artist and pottery teacher.

Flower has a passion for creating beautiful pottery, and recently showed his work at the . The La Crescenta local looks to "natural motifs for design and inspiration," citing the Arroyo Seco trail as one location that sparks his creativity. He is thrilled that the  , and described being frustrated and devastated during the Station Fire because he didn't have local access to nature. 

All of this natural inspiration manifests itself in Flower's rugged pottery pieces, which he shapes into vases, pots, mugs and more.

"I focus on making work that is both utilitarian and hopefully has a visual aesthetic," said Flower. "A lot of the work could be decorative but is also useful. Specifically, a lot of the work has a variety of glazes, but almost always there's some sort of exposed clay on the artwork [...] so that the raw clay shows through. I really like raw clay to be a feature."

Folks passing by his booth at the Arts and Crafts Festival were in for a rare treat, as Flower doesn't usually show his work.

"My work is secondary to my time as a teacher," he said. Though he'd love to have more time to practice his craft, he devotes the majority of his efforts to his students, but finds time now and then to make his own pieces after hours. He's been teaching for eleven years total, spending the last four years at Crescenta Valley High. Flower has been practicing the art of pottery-making for over two decades.

With all of Flower's educating, he rarely has time to show his work in galleries or exhibits, but he does maintain a website which showcases his work. Check it out at FlowerPottery.com.