My Story

Hi! I'm Jeanette, a full time vascular surgeon by day and a potter by night. My shop assistant is my Pomeranian, Scotch, who ensures quality control 😊

How did you get into art?

I’ve always wanted to become an artist when I was younger, but I didn’t want to become a starving artist. The best advice I ever received was that I could pursue my passion in medicine, and still do art on the side- so onto medical school I went. My goal was actually to become a plastic surgeon to perform the ultimate artwork on people, but when I saw DIEP flaps and watched them perform microanastomsois on the arteries and veins, I fell in love with vessel work. I switched to vascular surgery, and now I make function artwork that heals wounds! When I go to the studio, it’s a way for me to decompress and to make art that may or may not be functional. And best of all, it’s low risk. I’m not pressed for time, there is no bad outcome, and I can experiment!

Favorite part of making the mug?

Carving out the designs on the mug (a technique called sgraffito)! It's like doing an endarterectomy on a soft gelatinous plaque, especially when the clay consistency is just right. This usually happens in the middle of the night while I listen to Celine Dion (Scotch and the walls of my art room can attest to that).

Least favorite part?

Glazing because it’s so hard to control, and the color you see pre-firing is so different from the color you see post-firing! 

Favorite way to enjoy coffee

Starbucks Pike Place Roast sweetened with a tablespoon of condensed milk, and a splash of Bailey’s on the weekends 😉

Why limited batch?

To prevent burnout, and because I'm a full time vascular surgeon. If I try to make too many mugs in one go, it also goes from a being hobby to a chore real quick. It’s like when you have a patient who you are doing a hundred stab phlebectomies on. I usually have a side project going on to dedicate my own time to “play” with clay and explore making other things. 

Future goals

I would love to offer other variations on my mugs to support different causes and bring awareness, either with different color glazes or different designs. My goal is to donate a portion of the proceeds to a different charity every year!