St. Thomas sophomore finance major Jenny Keller made a high school pastime profitable by selling handcrafted mugs and bowls through her pottery business JK Ceramics.

As her pieces accumulated, Keller decided to sell them online through Etsy in 2017. Her pottery business has now reached clientele across the United States.

“Everything I know has come from people who love pottery even more than I do, which is hard to imagine,” Keller said, crediting her mentors.

According to Keller, pottery is a “binge craft,” requiring a lot of time and a specific environment. Keller’s basement studio houses a pottery wheel and her garage holds a kiln. She occasionally travels home to Andover, Minnesota on weekends to maintain her pottery stock but is restricted by Minnesota winters.

“You have to fire at a temperature where the computer on the kiln will work, so 40 to 50 degrees is the lowest you can go,” Keller said.

Keller enjoys creating larger ceramic pieces like vases, pitchers, and serving bowls. She also dabbles in macramé, weaving, sewing and embroidery.

The late renowned potter Warren MacKenzie has served as her greatest inspiration.

“Minnesota has the largest pottery community in the nation because of Warren MacKenzie,” Keller said.

Keller apprenticed under MacKenzie’s student, Dick Cooter, in the summer of 2017 in Two Harbors, Minnesota.

Although St. Thomas does not have a studio art program, Keller said she feels supported by the university in her creative endeavors.

“I really love the create [space], all the programs they put on and just how creative everything is there,” Keller said.

This past October, the create [space] hosted a craft fair during Women Entrepreneurship Week where local female artists and entrepreneurs gathered to sell their goods. Keller had the opportunity to showcase her pieces and sell directly to the community.

“(Keller’s) ceramics are beautiful, and she tucks a little piece of her heart in each one,” said sophomore Clare Solander, Keller’s friend and fellow student entrepreneur.

This March, Keller will be volunteering at the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts’ pottery convention in Minneapolis. The convention sponsors potters from all over the world. She will be assisting ceramic demonstrations and welcoming new knowledge.

Keller does not plan to expand JK Ceramics to a full-time job, but she does want creativity to remain at the core of her work. Once financially flourishing, she hopes to own a creative company or perhaps become a full-time artist.

“To put it simply, Jenny’s work is a true reflection of her joy doing it,” Solander said.

Tina O’Malley can be reached at omal4989@stthomas.edu.