Meet Our Staff

Ceramicist and owner of Mill Valley Pottery Studio, Lucy has been teaching and making ceramics since 2010. She is inspired by food and functionality and is fascinated by the intersection of art and science through ceramics. Lucy also loves to dabble with graphic design and silkscreen printing. Much of Lucy’s work is decorated with hand made silkscreen prints transferred to the clay surface. Lucy believes that, ceramics is not just a creative form of self-expression, but is also a medium through which we can learn art, history, science, engineering, and self-reflection as a species.

When she’s not teaching, managing the studio, or making pots, Lucy can be found going on hikes with her daughter, husband, and dog in the hills of Sonoma County where they live.

Yuli Barbosa is multimedia artist from Los Angeles California currently living and working in the East Bay. They received their MFA from University of California Berkeley in 2023. Their mixed media installations incorporate projections, photographs, ceramic, plaster, textile, and performance and have been shown in Bampfa, Somarts, and CCA.

John brings experience and perspective as a ceramic artist. His interest in clay began in elementary school. He continued his ceramics education through classes at Tamalpais High School, and then later, at MVPS. John’s also been working to advance his ceramics practice as an MVPS member and a Wheelhouse studio member for a combination of about 8 years. His pieces are influenced by the Bauhaus Movement and Mid Century Modern design.

As an instructor, John seeks to help students overcome the many challenges of working with clay. He focuses on wedging, centering, hand building and throwing off the hump. He also teaches sgraffito and decal application. Most importantly, John wants his students to have a positive experience while working with clay.

Ben was introduced to ceramics in a high school pottery class and hasn’t stopped working with clay since. He attended colleges locally and in North Carolina where he majored in ceramics and worked as a studio manager. Ben primarily works on the wheel and loves atmospheric firings for their organic finishes and unpredictability.

When he isn’t teaching, Ben likes to spend his time building custom recreational vehicles and going on culinary adventures in scenic places with friends and family.

Diane first discovered pottery in an attempt to find a fun and creative hobby to balance the stressors of daily life, but that quickly developed into a full-blown obsession and now full-time work.

As primarily a wheel thrower, Diane’s style tends to be mostly functional wares like mugs, cups, bowls, and bottles made in a combination of neutral colors as well as fun, bright glazes. That said, Diane also loves dabbling in hand-built and more sculptural pieces from time to time to break up the flow of wheel-thrown shapes.

Diane’s teaching style is to help students truly grasp the foundational techniques of wheel throwing and hand-building so that they can apply those skills to their own unique and creative aspirations over the span of their time in the studio.

When Diane is not in the studio, she’s managing her online meal & spice blend business (Balanced Bites), exploring the fantastic restaurants around the Bay Area, lifting weights, spending time with her husband, and, enjoying all that Marin County has to offer.

You can learn more about Diane at dianeceramics.com or via Instagram @dianeceramics / @dianesanfilippo.

Laura comes to MVPS with a background in fine arts and surface/textile design for the apparel industry.  She discovered an affinity for hand building with clay 5 years ago and is thrilled to have joined the MVPS clay community.

When not in the studio, She enjoys, running in golden gate park, cooking vegetarian meals, and tending to her urban potted plant garden. 

Amber Simon is currently a student at college of Marin. She has been working with clay for 4 years. She enjoys exploring new shapes and techniques.

Jordan has been making ceramics as a hobby for over 8 years and has been enjoying being able to teach ceramics in his free time over the last 4 years. Jordan primarily makes functional ware and enjoys experimenting with new forms that accentuate a "handmade" aesthetic. When he's not playing with clay, Jordan enjoys reading and writing poetry and exploring the natural beauty and cultural delights of the Bay Area with his girlfriend and their dogs.

Since Rachel began making pottery, she has spent nearly all of her free time at the wheel. She has been a student and member at MVPS and is excited to be back in the studio as an instructor.

Her work is inspired by surrealism and she loves to make art that is wacky and a little bit weird. You might recognize her pots with noses and ears from around the studio.

When Rachel is not playing with mud in the studio, she can be found playing with mud in her vegetable garden or while hiking and camping in the mountains.

You can find Rachel’s work on instagram @rach.pots

Robert Abrams, owner/curator of the Abrams Claghorn Gallery, has been part of the SF Bay Area art community for over 20 years. Since taking his first pottery class almost 30 years ago, his favorite medium has been clay. but he creates art in other media as well. Robert has taught ceramics since 2001 at various studios around the SF Bay Area, including The Berkeley Art Studio, The Potters' Studio in Berkeley, and The Crucible, and is a ceramics instructor and the gallery director at Laney College in Oakland.

Robert has been teaching ceramics and raku workshops at MVPS since 2012.

25 years ago I started the ceramics program at high school here in Marin and have been teaching clay classes ever since. Personally, I like work that shows the mark of the maker's hand. At the moment , I am experimenting with pinching everything (my poor hands…) . I pay a lot of attention to the surface and enjoy mishima , sgraffito , stamping, hand painting and applique. I like decoration because it makes you look a little closer. My decorations usually involve plants and / or critters of some sort. I am a Japanophile and this is the source of most of my ceramic inspiration. I am also studying to be a Master Gardener so I pretty much have my hands dirty all the time.

Most of my work starts off on the potter’s wheel. The hand thrown work is then embellished with hand building and sculptural techniques inspired by objects found in nature. 

My goal is to help students stay interested in the process. When students have early successes in art, these skills give them confidence and freedom to explore independently. Setting and completing an achievable goal for each class is key.

With practice I strongly believe a person can accomplish anything they desire.