Owner/Studio Manager + Instructor

Alana Rae McDowell is a self-taught ceramic artist from the unceded Sylix Territory/Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. She currently resides and creates in the unceded Sinxit Territory/Nelson area of the West Kootenays. 

Alana holds a degree in social work which informs her approach to working alongside and teaching others. She strives to make others feel comfortable and supported in their journey with clay. Alana began teaching in the Spring of 2022 and immediately felt that it was a direction she wanted to follow.

Her work highlights the transformative nature of clay; the therapeutic process of creating allows her to turn the stress and anxiety of modern life into contemporary, bright, and joyful pieces. For Alana, this empowering process embodies our ability to heal, transform, integrate, and shape our experiences while creating vessels for our journey from darkness to light.

Alana uses her work to playfully explore the rejection of personal/societal seriousness and mundanity. Above all else, she prioritizes creating functional art that evokes feelings of delight.

Alana has been incredibly fulfilled by connecting with people through the joy of pottery. Her dream is to offer a community studio space in Nelson where others are encouraged to have fun and get muddy.

To see her work visit claybyalanarae.com.

Wheel & Hand-building Instructor & Studio Technician

Amelie Drewitz was born in Germany and raised in the Kootenays where she spent her childhood drawing and playing outside in the wilderness.

She attended her first art exhibition in 2011 and has been a part of many exhibitions in the Kootenays since then. As a self-taught illustrator, Amelie illustrated her first book “The Tale of Two Opposites” at the young age of 14, and soon after at the age of 15 her second book, “The Fairy Flurries.”

Amelie attended the Nelson Waldorf School from first to eighth grade, graduated and began ninth grade at the local highschool. It was then and there when she was first introduced to the art of working with clay. She was mesmerized, and from then on took the ceramics course each year in highschool.

Amelie recently dove deeply into the world of ceramics at the Kootenay School of the Arts Ceramics program where she combined her love for illustration with her newly found passion for ceramics.

She has since graduated from KSA and is very grateful for the opportunity to share her knowledge and creativity teaching eager students at MUD Ceramics Club!

Wheel Instructor & Studio Technician

Birch makes functional pots for the kitchen with a casual, comfortable feel intended for everyday use.

Birch first began making pots out of the Kawarthas potters guild in Peterborough, ON while she was a university student studying biology. To Birch, biology and ceramics are the exploration of landscapes and they both spark her adventurous and curious nature.

Birch has since graduated from the Kootenay School of Arts Studio Ceramic program and gained experience as a potters apprentice for various potters in Winlaw, BC, Lake Lenore, SASK and Bird Creek, Alaska. Birch now as settled in Winlaw, BC, where she continues to work with both clay and biology.

Birch strives to make simple forms that have variation and depth in the surface while still letting the clay-body speak for itself. Her work is a life long journey of exploring the vast clay terrain and making pots.

Birch has now settled in Winlaw, BC, where she continues to enjoy working with both clay and biology.

Wheel Instructor

 Amy was born and raised in the suburbs of Ottawa. She studied at Carleton University, and after graduating she set out west to British Columbia to explore the mountains skiing. She eventually settled in Fernie, where she spent several years tree planting in the summers and serving in the winters. It was there that she discovered ceramics at the Fernie Arts Station, and from the moment she touched clay, she was captivated.

 Expression through clay is part of Amy’s ongoing pursuit for authenticity. It brings a sense of childlike play into her life…getting messy, having fun, embracing spontaneity and the unexpected. Amy’s approach is playful and unconventional, creating minimal yet bold pieces. She explores the juxtaposition of raw clay against glossy surfaces, revealing the beauty of the process itself.



 Amy moved to Nelson to further her love and knowledge of pottery. She recently graduated from the Kootenay School of the Arts ceramics program, and continues making pots in her tiny basement studio. She’s looking forward to joining the team at MUD, and to continue her learning through teaching!

Hand-building/Wheel Instructor

Ella Strongman is a Canadian ceramic artist from Nelson, BC, whose work is deeply shaped by the mountain landscapes she grew up around. She first discovered her passion for art in high school, where creativity became a calming and grounding outlet. After graduation, she enrolled in a beginner ceramics course. An experience that sparked her decision to pursue pottery more seriously.

Ella went on to study in the Ceramics Program at the Kootenay School of the Arts, completing the 10-month program in 2024–2025 and returning for a second year in 2025–2026. With access to the school’s tools, mentorship, and studio environment, she continues to expand her skills and push her work to the next level. Focusing mainly on wheel-thrown pottery, Ella uses different tools and techniques to explore texture, shape, and surface details. This approach helps her find a balance between structure and creativity. Her work is simple, fluid, and inspired by a natural, calm aesthetic.