For Sharon Bettcher, working with clay is a way of making useful, beautiful objects that people can bring into their homes and keep for years.

The St. Paul base potter has been working in clay for 17 years. She was among the vendors at the Slave Lake market, where she spoke warmly about her work, her customers and the people who helped build the local market into a success. Bettcher says she usually travels to the Athabasca market to sell her pottery. Before the Slave Lake market was established, customers from Slave Lake made the trip to Athabasca to buy her work. That support meant a great deal to her, and she says she is especially thankful that organizers launched the Slave Lake farmers market two years ago. Since then, she says, the market has been going very well for her. Now that she can come to Slave Lake directly, Bettcher says she enjoys being part of the growing market community. She described herself as someone who has always liked making things, and pottery became a natural fit. What keeps her drawn to the medium, she says, is the material itself.

“It’s so organic,” she says. That connection to clay shapes both her process and the finished pieces she brings to market. Her work is rooted in the idea that everyday items can still be artistic.

Bettcher says her pottery is both functional and artful, a balance she takes seriously in every piece she makes. She also makes her own glaze, giving her even greater control over the final result.

That attention to detail is a major part of her approach, and she says love is built into every piece she sells.

“I’m very particular. If it’s not right, it doesn’t get sold,” she says.

For Bettcher, quality is not a marketing slogan.
It is a standard she applies to everything she creates. She says she thinks about pottery not only as a maker, but also as a buyer.

“I make, but I also buy, and I would hate to buy something that doesn’t last,” she says.

That philosophy is reflected in her choice of material. Clay is her primary medium, and she says her goal is to create pieces that are durable as well as beautiful.
Her pottery is meant to be used, enjoyed and kept, rather than treated as something temporary.

Bettcher says she is grateful to the organizers who got the slave lake market started and helped it grow over the past two years.

Their work, she says, created a place where local makers can connect directly with customers closer to home.

She added that she loves coming to the Slave Lake market and values the chance to meet the people who support local artisans.

Judging by her gratitude for the market and the customers who continue to seek out her work, Slave Lake has become an important part of that journey.

Sara Driedger
Lakeside Leader