Meridian Mudworks originated during the summer of 2023, high up in the Rocky Mountains at 9500 feet, right next to Meridian Lake at our home in Crested Butte, Colorado. I’m Nina Kisker, and I’m very grateful to live in such a wonderful little town and be able to spend time making pottery.
I work out of the Crested Butte Clay Studio and my personal studio at my home in Meridian Lake.
Some of my work is on display in the gallery at the Clay Studio, and everything else is on this website. If you’re interested in a custom order, you can message me about pricing and time allowance.
Like many people, I took 4 years of ceramics in high school, which was a very long time ago. Based on that work I was selected to take classes at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC, which fueled my creativity more. After moving to Colorado from Maryland, I primarily skied and mountain bike raced, and tapped into my artistic side through painting, doing leatherwork, and having a landscaping business in Aspen. It wasn’t until my family moved to Crested Butte in 2021, that I took classes at the Crested Butte Clay Center, which respired my love of clay. I love hand building and the wheel, sculptural pieces and functional. My pieces are fired to cone 6 in an electric kiln, and I’m beginning to dabble in Raku on the side.
All of the processes involved in creating a ceramic piece appeal to me and the possibilities are endless. I really am just at the very beginning of my adventure as a potter, and I have so much to learn. I take art classes when I can at Western State College, and attend workshops on concentrated ceramic subjects. Maybe that’s what I love so much about ceramics, is that it’s a never-ending learning experience. I’m inspired by the beauty that surrounds me where I live and I love to glaze using bright bold colors that I see in every day nature. Some of my glazing comes out looking coastal or beach, which is probably because I grew up in Maryland, and there’s some sort of nostalgia attached to that. I have yet to make a mug with crabs all over it, but I will!
Only Sustainable Materials
Quality Over Quantity
Handmade, hand painted, fired, and finished by myself at 9,500 feet in the Rocky Mountains
Leather Goods
Steve “The Wallet Man”
You’ll see that there’s also a link on the site to leather goods. My husband Steve, “The Wallet Man”, is the maker of these. We are self taught leather workers, and make rustic handstitched leather wallets from cowhides. Nothing fancy, and very functional- just how we like our leather.
Family
Thriving at 9,500′
Steve and I have a 9 year old son Colten and a 24 year old daughter Willa. When I’m not getting muddy in the studio, we’re out nordic skiing, downhilling, mountain biking, jumping on the trampoline, removing snow from our driveway, or traveling around to the desert in our camper.
Thank you for visiting our site!