Rabun Thompson

“I am often asked, ‘Why do you choose this lifestyle?’  I believe the pottery process benefits the studio craftsman, more than the eventual cash-for-goods exchange. I also believe the work we do, it is to endure, must be of value in our present lives and serve the purpose for which it was acquired. It will continue to live on, hopefully for generations in subsequent households, as a testament to the enduring vision of the potter.”

​

After graduating from Chico State University in Chico, CA with an Arts degree in 1980, Rabun Thompson returned to the California Central Coast, where he grew up, to await developments. Nada. So, almost by default, he began to make and sell pottery. The pottery he made in California reflected the local lifestyle and climate, the needs of his largely local customer base, and his interest in materials and processes. Then, many years later, he made an unanticipated move to the Northwest to settle in Portland, OR. And his work evolved. The same influences and pressures that he found in California, but with different nuances and…flavors. Years passed, and the body of work is nothing like what he left California with. And things are still moving forward.

Rabun joined Mossy Creek Pottery in 2011.