Deb Templeton is a Ranger in our pottery studio, a role that is part artist-in-residence, part studio manager. Most days you can find her in the studio working on a new sculpture or guacamole bowl, in between loading and unloading the kiln to fire all of our pottery. Her husband, Bowden, is also a member of our studio.
She has been an artist of all of her life, but she didn't really have any opportunities to work with clay after high school. Art in general was often pushed to the back burner as a working mother and then caregiver to aging parents. A couple of years ago, she found an opportunity to return to the pottery through The 567's studio. She took a pottery wheel class with her husband to brush up on her skills, and then became a studio member to continue creating pottery on her own in her free time.
In this midst of all this, she was still caring for her parents, who suffered from dementia. In the final years of their lives, the stress began to take a toll on her health. When her father passed away last year, she gained a new perspective. She wanted to spend as much time as she could making art, so she left her job to be a full time artist—a choice she still doesn’t regret.
About the transition, Deb said, "In addition to my husband's love and support, the creative environment and community support at the 567 have been essential elements in allowing me to grow and thrive in this endeavor. I feel truly blessed to be a part of this place and all that happens in and outside of these walls."
We’re grateful to have Deb as part of our studio, too. When she became a full-time artist, she also became a Ranger. As the pottery studio has grown in the past year, we couldn’t have done it without Deb to help keep up with all of the tasks that go into running a studio.
You can find Deb’s pottery in our gallery this month and next as part of the Favorite Things exhibit. You can also find some of her work in our online gallery.