Wendy Thoreson began her career as a functional potter. In her recent work, she challenged herself to make beautiful objects that would never belong in the kitchen cabinet.

While she was in college, she took a basic blacksmithing classes and enjoyed making tapered scrolls. She ultimately focused on ceramics but continued to be inspired by the flowing lines and ornate details of wrought iron and Victorian styles. The blacksmithing classes gave her an understanding of how to treat, shape and work the metal. She translated the blacksmithing techniques by curving, twisting and working the clay into ornate forms.