Meet the Potter

GETTING A LATE START

Hi, I'm Dina Bredahl (pronounced Deena). I began taking pottery classes in January 2019. My husband gave me the gift of a month of Clay to Kiln class at Cottonwood Center for the Arts, in Colorado Springs. The wonderful community and excellent instruction, as well as the addictive properties of clay, quickly morphed me into an avid hobby potter.

The possibilities of what can be created with clay are truly endless. While exploring the tip of the pottery iceberg, I found satisfaction and a creative outlet in altering the forms of wheel-thrown pots. (Basically I enjoy messing up my pots!). Organic forms, dark clay and interesting glazes are common elements of my work.

LIFE BEYOND POTTERY

My husband Jason and I have twin teenage boys, Wyatt and Colby, who are always willing to give me feedback on glazes. They help load and unload boxes of clay and pottery, and carry buckets of slip to the garage for clay recycling.

My career for over 20 years has been working with orangutans, gorillas and other species at the world class zoo in Colorado Springs, CO. A critical part of my job is to help zoo guests make memorable connections with animals, hopefully giving them the tools and inspiration to conserve species and habitats.

SHAMELESS ORANGUTAN PLUG

The easiest thing we can all do to help wild orangutans is to use this app when we go grocery shopping:  https://www.cmzoo.org/conservation/orangutans-palm-oil/sustainable-palm-oil-shopping-app/

I traveled with other zoo professionals to Indonesia and Malaysia to ground-truth the palm oil crisis and other threats to orangutans, and helped develop the sustainable palm oil app. Supporting companies that commit to using sustainable palm oil is so important; yet not many people know about it. Enough of the soapbox...time to make some pottery!! 

MAY 2022 UPDATE... check out this article:

https://shoutoutcolorado.com/meet-dina-bredahl-potter-instructor-mom-and-zookeeper/