We lost Ellen Currans in April of 2023.  We all miss her pioneering spirit and her ceramic artwork. We are fortunate to offer some of her work at this year's Artists Greenhouse Sale.

Ellen was an Oregon potter based in Dundee. She created functional, high-fired stoneware with her signature matte-finish glaze, primarily in a soft green hue or rusty beige. She kept her prices low and enjoyed seeing her customer base return year after year. She was able to sell essentially everything she made.

Ellen was one of the original 14 members of the Lake Oswego Crafts and Art League (LOCAL 14), a local women's arts group that held group sales of artwork in a member’s garage. LOCAL 14 gave support to one another, and as a result, more women went on to show in galleries and develop their art.  LOCAL 14 continues with an annual show in Portland area each fall.  In 1980 Ellen helped start the Oregon Potters Association (OPA) as a way for potters to come together as a group to pay less for clay and supplies. 

In her words: "Sometimes the end-product doesn't turn out the way you thought it would. Sometimes you like it. Sometimes you don't like it, but you work through a process to create it.  My whole reason for going into pottery - at first as a hobby - was to create things that were pleasing to me... It's the process that's important...The creative process is what's satisfying."