About the Artist

 

Hi, I'm Rachel — the artist, perpetual dirt-enthusiast, and one-woman show behind Baxter Creek Pottery.

I have a bachelor's degree and part of a master's in Biology, but my high school ceramics teacher, Mr. Tomasik, got me on the wheel early and I never really looked back. I remember spending an entire spring break carving a vase at home while my friends were probably on beaches somewhere. I went on to earn a minor in studio art in college, and probably spent more time in the ceramics studio than I did in my biology labs.

In the summer of 2020, in the middle of a pandemic and all the chaos that came with it, I made the bold (some might say unhinged) decision to quit my job and pursue pottery full time. I bought a wheel, built myself some sturdy worktables, and hauled in my first 200 lbs of clay. It felt like finally doing what I was meant to do. The pandemic, wildfires, and general apocalyptic energy of that era couldn't stop me. They did, however, send me straight to a therapist, which turned out to be one of the better decisions I've made. Highly recommend.

I ran Baxter Creek from 2020 to 2022, then stepped away to take on some field work — soil sampling and data management, which felt like the right move at the time. But the pull of clay is real, and as of 2026, I'm back: wheel spinning, hands dirty, and genuinely thrilled to be making things again.

Thanks for being here. I hope you love using my work as much as I love making it.

 

-Rachel Baxter