Ken Maddux — Ceramic Artist & Potter
Bending Pines Pottery creates handcrafted vessels where clay, fire, and human stories come together.
My first experiences with clay were what you might call “smashing” successes.
During my early ceramics classes, our professor would literally stand beside the kiln with a hammer as we unloaded our work. Holding up a freshly fired piece, he would ask, “Do you want this piece to last for 10,000 years?” If the answer was no, the hammer was ready. Many of my early creations found their way into the shard bucket.
Persistence pays, however. By my second ceramics class, I was creating pieces I was proud to keep. That early lesson—embracing mistakes, learning through the process, and continuing to refine the craft—has remained central to my journey as a potter.
After completing a Master’s degree in Art Education, I continued working with clay in a small studio in my first apartment. During a rewarding career as an educator, I also founded a small advertising studio and printing company before joining Minneapolis Community College, where I taught commercial photography, cartooning, and related creative disciplines.
My career later expanded into higher education leadership, serving as a dean and eventually vice president at Winona Community and Technical College and St. Cloud Community and Technical College. I was also honored to be selected by St. Cloud State University to establish and direct its entrepreneurial center. I completed my professional career there in 2005, but my connection to creativity and making never left me.
The Beginning of Bending Pines Pottery
As a retirement gift, my sons planned a mystery date. They asked me to wear jeans, took me to a wonderful little bistro, and after dinner surprised me with the second part of the evening—a visit to the pottery studios at the Paramount Center for the Arts in St. Cloud.
The three of us spent the next hour throwing clay on the wheel. I quickly realized, “I could still do this.” Working with clay felt familiar, almost like riding a bicycle after many years away.
Within a few months, I had purchased a wheel and kiln, and Bending Pines Pottery was born. A bedroom at my cabin and half of the garage were transformed into working studio spaces, beginning a new chapter centered around creativity, craftsmanship, and connection.
Since 2007, I have held annual pottery sales on Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends. What began as small gatherings grew over the years into events where collectors and visitors could discover handmade pottery directly from the artist. These sales in the last few years have grown to include 90-100 pieces sold within 12 hours over each two-day event.
Today, with the addition of Horsehair Raku and a growing number of commissioned works, I create approximately 350–400 pieces annually. While that keeps me close to my creative limits, it also allows me to participate in something I deeply value—the opportunity to connect with people through clay, a material that links us across cultures, generations, and centuries.
Creating Vessels with Meaning
My work can be found in homes, kitchens, private collections, and, more recently, in Minnesota art galleries, where my Horsehair Raku is represented alongside the work of other accomplished artists. My pottery has found its way to collectors throughout the United States, Mexico, and Europe. Each piece carries a story—whether it is a functional stoneware vessel created for everyday use, a distinctive Horsehair Raku art piece, or a commissioned work created to honor a person's vision, memory, or connection.
Through Bending Pines Pottery, I continue exploring the relationship between form, fire, natural materials, and the human stories that make each vessel meaningful. Whether discovered in a gallery, selected at a pottery sale, or created through a personal commission, my hope is that each vessel brings beauty, purpose, and lasting connection to the lives of those who receive it.