Monkey Mud Pottery - Where Pottery Meets Art
/By Tracy
This time of year my weekends are often spent at local artisan and craft shows, shopping for others and for myself. It’s a great way to get my Christmas shopping done while having fun and supporting local businesses.
One thing I used to pass by while shopping at these shows is pottery. It wasn’t because I don’t like it (in fact it was quite the opposite!), but because I already had a lot of pottery, and I figured I didn’t need any more. I received a lovely pottery teapot as a gift early in my marriage and I have wonderful pottery mugs I use on a regular basis. I also have your standard pottery platters and bowls.
It wasn’t until I was introduced to the uniquely beautiful pottery creations of Monkey Mud Pottery that I fell in love with pottery all over again. Owner and master potter, Michèle (known as “MEGG” in the pottery community) takes this art form to an entirely new level by leaving behind the traditional pottery teapot forms, and instead focusing on whimsical houses, one-of-a-kind bowls, and never-before-seen candle holders, angels, and vases.
MEGG spends most of her days in the pottery studio or in her at-home workshop, tirelessly sketching out ideas, dreaming in shapes and colours, and thinking about how she can transform her love of architecture, nature, and animals into timeless pieces of art. Her overall theme or vision is a result of travelling the world, combined with her love of experimenting and creating new shapes.
Monkey Mud pottery pieces make the perfect gift or keepsake, and are always the topic of conversation at dinner parties (guests always ask me where I got my ‘little house’ made by Monkey Mud Pottery). Another thing that makes MEGG’s pottery so special is that you can’t buy it at just any old big box store. She has regular clients and customers who place special orders, she has a Facebook page where she posts her latest creations, and she is often seen at local artisan events, such as the Old-Fashioned Christmas and Outdoor Artisan Market at the Goulbourn Museum on November 22nd.
But MEGG’s pottery isn’t just for Christmas. I have gifted her bowls as baby gifts (some are perfect for baby’s first foods) or pet gifts, and many of her creations are ideal for the fairy-believing child in your life. My favourite items are the whimsical houses, which light up with a candle, or stand alone to tell their own story, as well as the “town bowls,” which MEGG tells me represent the different cities and towns she has visited across the world.
For more information on Monkey Mud Pottery, including a gallery where you can view some of MEGG’s pieces, visit her website, follow her on Facebook, or email her at: monkeymudpottery@gmail.com.
