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| 2444 Sutherland Ave., Suite C, Knoxville, TN 37919 phone: 865. 595. 1900 fax: 865. 522. 3793 |
Ceramic Supplies . Artist Studios . Art Classes . Gallery
Meet our Mighty Mud Instructors:
Samuel Davis, Pottery & Hand Building
Samuel Davis is a ceramic and mixed media artist from Knoxville, TN. He received his BFA in
Ceramics from the University of Tennessee in 2006 and his MFA from Clemson University in
2009. While at Clemson in 2008, he was awarded a fellowship to complete an Artist in
Residence program at Tainan National University for the Arts in Taiwan. He then had the
opportunity to travel much of Japan, meeting and working alongside local artists from potters
to indigo dyers. He is currently establishing his new studio space here in Knoxville.
Valerie Eiler, Pottery & Hand Building
Valerie has taught pottery lessons for over twenty years, first running her own pottery school
in Knoxville. After closing her own school, she starting teaching pottery classes at
Campbell's Ceramics and now at Mighty Mud. Valerie likes working individually with students
at their own pace.
Ebru Ekici, Hand Building and Sculpture
Ebru Ekici holds BFA, MFA, and PH.D. degrees in Interior Architecture from Bilkent University,
Ankara, Turkey. After working in the industry as a professional for a few years, she received
her MA degree in Ceramics in 2001 from Purdue University. She taught Interior Design,
Industrial Design, Foundation Design and Drawing classes at Purdue University and at
UNC–Greensboro. Her ceramic work has been displayed in several national and
international group and solo exhibitions.
Barron Hall, Pottery
Zophia Kneiss, Metal Working
Zophia first learned welding from her dad at a young age. She remembers going to
alternative punk concerts at Griffis Sculpture Park near where she grew up on the outskirts of
Buffalo, NY. There is amazing art that you could play on there. She took her first metal art
class from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. She went there to study
ecology, which she used to enter the Peace Corps. She lived in the cloud forest jungle of
Kabayan, Benguet in the Philippines for three years teaching environmental education, youth
development and sustainable livelihoods where there were still villages with out roads or
electricity. This experience affected her and her art deeply on a spiritual and environmental
level. She came back and moved Atlanta for a few years where she got certified in various
welding processes from Dekalb, Tech. Zophia currently works from her "Burning Art" studio in
New Tazwell, TN.
Jessica Kortz, Jewelry & Mosaics
As long as she can remember, Jessica has always been "creating" something. Her first
experience creating as a child came from visiting her grandparents in New York. Whenever
she and her cousins ran out of games to play, their grandma would direct them to a large
drawer in the guest bedroom filled with paper and pencils. They would then sit down with
their grandpa and draw together.
Jessica graduated from UTK in 2002 with a BS in Interior Design. She has been creating
jewelry and mosaics out of damaged dishes and other recycled materials for over twelve
years. She is a former board member of the Foothills Craft Guild and also a member of
Tennessee Association of Craft Artists, the Appalachian Arts Craft Center, and the Society of
American Mosaic artists.
Little Known Fact About Jessica: She has a Girl Scout Gold Award, earned by working with 4th
and 5th graders to write and perform a play about recycling and conserving the environment
Favorite Foods: Raspberries and Asparagus
Hobbies: Sewing, Crocheting, Drawing, Painting, Hiking, Running and Playing Soccer
Jennifer Shaffer, Kid's Classes
Jennifer Shaffer is an elementary school teacher with 16 years of teaching experience. She
has always loved doing arts and crafts, even as a young child. She tries to incorporate art in
her classroom whenever she can. She has been creating pottery for the last ten years, and
loves its unlimited possibilities. Jennifer loves to see children exploring their creative
abilities.
Stacey Fletcher Reynolds, Painting and Collage
Stacey is an artist from Leesburg, Georgia, who lives and works in Knoxville, Tennessee.
She has shown nationally and internationally in many individual, group, and juried
exhibitions. She studied art at Valdosta State University, in Georgia, and received a B.F.A. in
2000. She was awarded a graduate assistantship to teach and paint in the painting and
drawing department at the University of Tennessee, whereshe graduated with a Masters of
Fine Art in 2003. She has taught for the University of Tennessee, and now teaches through
the Professional and Personal development program, Mighty Mud Studios, as well as
tutoring private lessons.
Michael Robison, Pottery
Rikki Taylor, Pottery
Rikkiʻs ceramic career began in 1975 while attending college in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
She became totally immersed in the process. The endless creation of ceramic work and
advances in the technical and safety aspects of clay, it was only a natural progression to
move from the subtle earth tones of stoneware to the bright and dynamic colors of
underglazes. Thus, the eclectic creation of fun, bright and colorful ceramic art. Notably Rikkiʻs
work “Running Man” was purchased and resides in the Smithsonianʼs Renwick Museum of
American Craft.
Samuel Davis, Pottery & Hand Building
Samuel Davis is a ceramic and mixed media artist from Knoxville, TN. He received his BFA in
Ceramics from the University of Tennessee in 2006 and his MFA from Clemson University in
2009. While at Clemson in 2008, he was awarded a fellowship to complete an Artist in
Residence program at Tainan National University for the Arts in Taiwan. He then had the
opportunity to travel much of Japan, meeting and working alongside local artists from potters
to indigo dyers. He is currently establishing his new studio space here in Knoxville.
Valerie Eiler, Pottery & Hand Building
Valerie has taught pottery lessons for over twenty years, first running her own pottery school
in Knoxville. After closing her own school, she starting teaching pottery classes at
Campbell's Ceramics and now at Mighty Mud. Valerie likes working individually with students
at their own pace.
Ebru Ekici, Hand Building and Sculpture
Ebru Ekici holds BFA, MFA, and PH.D. degrees in Interior Architecture from Bilkent University,
Ankara, Turkey. After working in the industry as a professional for a few years, she received
her MA degree in Ceramics in 2001 from Purdue University. She taught Interior Design,
Industrial Design, Foundation Design and Drawing classes at Purdue University and at
UNC–Greensboro. Her ceramic work has been displayed in several national and
international group and solo exhibitions.
Barron Hall, Pottery
Zophia Kneiss, Metal Working
Zophia first learned welding from her dad at a young age. She remembers going to
alternative punk concerts at Griffis Sculpture Park near where she grew up on the outskirts of
Buffalo, NY. There is amazing art that you could play on there. She took her first metal art
class from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. She went there to study
ecology, which she used to enter the Peace Corps. She lived in the cloud forest jungle of
Kabayan, Benguet in the Philippines for three years teaching environmental education, youth
development and sustainable livelihoods where there were still villages with out roads or
electricity. This experience affected her and her art deeply on a spiritual and environmental
level. She came back and moved Atlanta for a few years where she got certified in various
welding processes from Dekalb, Tech. Zophia currently works from her "Burning Art" studio in
New Tazwell, TN.
Jessica Kortz, Jewelry & Mosaics
As long as she can remember, Jessica has always been "creating" something. Her first
experience creating as a child came from visiting her grandparents in New York. Whenever
she and her cousins ran out of games to play, their grandma would direct them to a large
drawer in the guest bedroom filled with paper and pencils. They would then sit down with
their grandpa and draw together.
Jessica graduated from UTK in 2002 with a BS in Interior Design. She has been creating
jewelry and mosaics out of damaged dishes and other recycled materials for over twelve
years. She is a former board member of the Foothills Craft Guild and also a member of
Tennessee Association of Craft Artists, the Appalachian Arts Craft Center, and the Society of
American Mosaic artists.
Little Known Fact About Jessica: She has a Girl Scout Gold Award, earned by working with 4th
and 5th graders to write and perform a play about recycling and conserving the environment
Favorite Foods: Raspberries and Asparagus
Hobbies: Sewing, Crocheting, Drawing, Painting, Hiking, Running and Playing Soccer
Jennifer Shaffer, Kid's Classes
Jennifer Shaffer is an elementary school teacher with 16 years of teaching experience. She
has always loved doing arts and crafts, even as a young child. She tries to incorporate art in
her classroom whenever she can. She has been creating pottery for the last ten years, and
loves its unlimited possibilities. Jennifer loves to see children exploring their creative
abilities.
Stacey Fletcher Reynolds, Painting and Collage
Stacey is an artist from Leesburg, Georgia, who lives and works in Knoxville, Tennessee.
She has shown nationally and internationally in many individual, group, and juried
exhibitions. She studied art at Valdosta State University, in Georgia, and received a B.F.A. in
2000. She was awarded a graduate assistantship to teach and paint in the painting and
drawing department at the University of Tennessee, whereshe graduated with a Masters of
Fine Art in 2003. She has taught for the University of Tennessee, and now teaches through
the Professional and Personal development program, Mighty Mud Studios, as well as
tutoring private lessons.
Michael Robison, Pottery
Rikki Taylor, Pottery
Rikkiʻs ceramic career began in 1975 while attending college in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
She became totally immersed in the process. The endless creation of ceramic work and
advances in the technical and safety aspects of clay, it was only a natural progression to
move from the subtle earth tones of stoneware to the bright and dynamic colors of
underglazes. Thus, the eclectic creation of fun, bright and colorful ceramic art. Notably Rikkiʻs
work “Running Man” was purchased and resides in the Smithsonianʼs Renwick Museum of
American Craft.
