In Focus: Brainerd Man Makes Pottery As a One-Person Operation

Creating pots, dishes, and other utensils made out of baked clay is how artist Nick DeVries makes his living. DeVries, a potter based out of Brainerd, designs and makes his own ceramics, and he does it all by hand.

DeVries was always an art kid in high school, but his love for pottery took off in college, when he studied and traveled with Minnesota potter Jim Loso.

There are many types of ceramics that can be made, but DeVries focuses on making functional items like cups, mugs, and jars. For those looking to make this work into a career like DeVries has, he has one tip that helped him make it this far.

“I think the most valuable thing for me was finding a potter to work with, and really kind of understanding what that life looked like, and whether I wanted to do that or not,” said DeVries.

A showcase of DeVries’ work can be found on his website.