Instructors

Susie Meskill was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri. She was introduced to pottery during high school at a local community studio. She continued to work with clay while pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Denver. In 2023, she completed a two year post-baccalaureate program at Western New Mexico University in Silver City, NM. She has been a short term resident at Red Lodge Clay Center in Montana and a winter resident at Penland School of Craft in North Carolina. Susie primarily creates wheel thrown utilitarian pieces with an emphasis on form and color and has recently been experimenting with slipcasting.

Tanya Rinehart is an accomplished pottery teacher with over 15 years of experience in the art of ceramics. She has practiced pottery in Australia, New Zealand, and the USA as a student and a teacher of wheel throwing and ceramic design. Tanya’s teaching philosophy combines traditional techniques with modern innovation, encouraging students to explore their creativity while mastering the fundamentals of pottery. Her classes are known for their supportive atmosphere and hands-on approach, fostering both skill development and artistic expression. Outside the studio, Tanya enjoys all things outside ranging from trail running to wing foiling, and she draws inspiration from nature for her ceramic designs.

Dyana Fiediga earned her BFA from Ohio University, specializing in Art History, 3D design, and ceramics. In 2007, she discovered wheel throwing through Trudy Irwin of Right Place Pottery on Orcas Island, WA, and later apprenticed with Jeremy Noet of @bluewaterpottery in Bellingham, WA. She taught in Bellingham at Baker Creek Studio before moving to Hood River in 2018. Dyana founded Clay Commons that year, creating a welcoming classroom and studio space where she offers wheel throwing and handbuilding classes to the community and small groups. She is passionate about providing a safe, supportive environment for others to explore the creative possibilities of working with clay.