WHITEWATER REGION (Cobden) — Nestled to the left of the family home beside Dan’s Pizza is a new pottery studio. Little Creek Pottery Studio (LCPS) is owned and operated by Mike Vlaming on Highway 17 in the Cobden area of Whitewater Region.
Mr.Vlaming’s venture in to pottery was kismet and unlikely. He’s currently on paternity leave from his carpenter position at Gary and Rons Kitchens in Cobden. He said he came to the decision with his wife to open the studio while they both had time off from work, taking on a now-or-never attitude.
The studio is located in a quaint building to the left of what is Mr.Vlaming’s childhood home. He says the view of the backyard where he grew up serves as a source of inspiration. Growing up in Cobden, he attended both Cobden and District Public School and Opeongo High School, where he was a student-athlete who was always on the move.
Things began to shift for Mr.Vlaming in college when he began to cultivate the creative side of his personality. “The deeper I went in to myself, the more I marvelled at the complexity of how I have been made,” he said. According to Mr.Vlaming, this is the heart of his love for pottery.
“I see in pottery a metaphor for life,” he said. The way he manipulates and moulds the clay as he works allows you to see his deep insight come to life. He compares each aspect of pottery to life, drawing on similarities like how the unexpected nature of the kiln is similar to death.
Mr. Vlaming teaches pottery classes, which have become popular in Whitewater Region and the surrounding areas. LCPS is located at 58 Pembroke St., Highway 17, in Cobden. The studio is open Monday to Thursday from 10:00 a.m. and will be at Cobden’s Taste of the Valley this Saturday. Pottery for sale can also be found at the Fifth Chute coffee shop in Eganville.
Photos by Megan Chase. (From left) Owner, operator and teacher Mike Vlaming hard at work in Little Creek Pottery Studio, located on Highway 17 in Cobden, Ontario.
