About Drake Bialecki

Drake Bialecki is a Farm Certification Service Specialist at CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers), a studio potter, pottery instructor, and social media advocate based in Bend, Oregon. He holds a BA in Environmental Studies with a focus on Agroecology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. While studying, Drake also honed his skills through apprenticeships and production pottery roles at Dark Horse Pottery and Santa Cruz Pottery. His diverse professional background includes serving as the 2014/2015 International Volunteer Potter at The Leach Pottery in St. Ives, Cornwall, UK, working as a cellar hand at Bonny Doon Vineyard in Santa Cruz, CA, and teaching pottery at Good Life Ceramics in Santa Cruz. In 2017, he founded Pacific Stone Pottery and relocated to Bend, Oregon, in Summer 2024, where he now works from Mud Lake Studios in the Old Iron Works Artist District. Drake is passionate about connecting people with handmade pottery and farm-fresh food.

Inspiration

Throughout history, art and craft have served as records of human civilization. From the dawn of time to the present, our existence has been captured through every conceivable medium. While there are countless forms of self-expression in the 21st century, Drake has found his calling in clay and farming. The act of sitting at the wheel and shaping the clay has become a meditative practice, allowing him to focus on each piece and create a range of visually captivating forms. His functional pottery reflects his personal journey, shaped by his high school ceramics classes, his travels around the world in search of wonder and beauty, and, most notably, his apprenticeships at Dark Horse Pottery and the Leach Pottery. Although Drake has been deeply influenced by his skilled instructors over the past 15 years, he holds a profound respect and admiration for the natural world.