Justin Ferguson is a full-time software security engineer based in Westminster, CO. Married to a teacher, parent of two amazing teenagers. Guild member at the Arvada Ceramic Arts Guild since 2024.
Pottery is an escape from the digital chaos that is daily life; stepping into the studio helps to quiet the noise from everything that’s happening in the world and gives an opportunity to focus on simply doing, experimenting, and learning.
I’ve not had a formal pottery training, I’m simply learning by doing and putting my pieces out there in case others enjoy them too. My love for clay was kindled by my grandmother, who owned a studio in St. Louis in the ’70s and ’80s, and remained a hobbyist long after she retired from studio ownership. In 2022, after her passing, I inherited her kiln, and re-discovered the joy of creating with clay.
As she was primarily a slip-caster and hand-builder, I’d never had the opportunity to learn wheel-throwing, and in late 2022 I started taking classes from Becky Koop at Back Door Pottery in Kansas City. After several months of classes from Becky, I became a studio member at 323CLAY in Independence, MO so I could spend more time “behind the wheel”. At 323CLAY, I had the ability to explore and try new things within a supportive community.
In 2024, our family relocated to Colorado, and a few months later I was accepted to be a guild member at the Arvada Ceramic Arts Guild, where I found a diverse, welcoming community of potters and friends, and where I hope to be able to stay for a long while!