Linda Lane
Linda is a Richmond gal born and raised. She attended St. Gertrude’s High School and earned her degree in Early Childhood Education beginning at Radford, then William & Mary and completing her studies at VCU. She taught for 10 years then ran her own business for 15. She and her husband ran Nature’s Image Photography Workshops for 26 years. They conducted 3-5 day workshops along the east coast. Covid put an abrupt end to that during which time they pursued other endeavors.
She has two great loves in addition to family: Animals and Pottery. Animals have been a priority all her life and she has managed to tie the two loves together. She is a responder with several national animal rescues and donates 70% of all her pottery proceeds to various animal rescues around the country and Africa. Twice a year she holds an Open House to help raise money for rescues and is open daily by appointment. But how she became a potter, well that’s another story.
Around 2000 a friend convinced her to take a pottery class and, well, that did it. She was hooked and never looked back. When asked what she loved about clay, she said the feeling of clay between her fingers, the connection with the earth and watching this off balanced hunk of clay develop into a beautiful form. She uses both the wheel and hand building techniques to create one of a kind pieces. She still enjoys attending workshops, one in particular in West Virginia. “I’ve been attending it for the last 23 years.” One of our presenters once said, and I quote, “I have never had an original idea in my life… for we are not only influenced by nature and our environment but the creativity of others.” She confesses that some days, when she is spiritually and mentally not in balance, it is difficult to be creative, so she pulls on knowledge gathered from fellow artists.
“Clay speaks, it has a memory. Working with clay is literally working with a pure form of nature. It can talk to you if you listen. I love feeling the clay between my fingers, watching it develop and take form. It brings me such joy and satisfaction. “
70% of the proceeds from all sales go toward animal rescue organizations. I have two open houses a year to raise money and am open daily by appointment.
