I was born and raised in east Tennessee, at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I come from a long line of potters, ceramic artists, and ceramic engineers. The tradition dates back to the 1800’s to the potteries of Stoke-on-Trent, England. My grandparents, great grandparents and great-great grandparents, on my mother’s side, were all involved in the ceramic industry. My father, Douglas Ferguson, was a ceramic artist. His work, spanning fifty-three years, is internationally recognized.

Growing up in my father’s clay studio, sculpting clay was something I learned and mastered at an early age. I spent my teenage years working in my dad’s production pottery, doing jobs from mixing clay and formulating glazes to making production molds and designing new pieces, throwing, jiggering, slip casting and finishing. I also began to take classes in clay at the nearby Arrowmont School of Crafts and Penland School of Arts and Crafts. I spent much of my time hiking and exploring the mountains of east Tennessee and North Carolina. This environment and my father’s love for nature and his simplistic stylized work influenced my life and my work.

Coming from a traditional background of functional craft pottery, my work shifted when I attended The California College of Arts and Crafts to study under Viola Frey. Although I have always preferred sculpting, Viola’s mentorship influenced my interest in the human figure as a subject form. I received a BFA from The California College of Arts and Crafts and a MFA from the University of Delaware.

During the ninety’s I raised two sons, co-owned an art gallery and worked with my father in his business, Pigeon Forge Pottery. In 2003 I moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico and set up a small studio. This summer I was married to my husband, Phil Korte. We bought a ranch in Arizona, where we now live and work. We are off the grid, relying totally on solar and wind power. I presently fire my electric kilns with a gas generator. This self sufficient lifestyle and solitude of our home and studio has been an ambition of both of ours. The connection of nature, spirit and creativity allows me to devote my full time and energy to my studio and work.