Think Big! The Pottery of Amy Zachariasen Spring 2003 By Stephen Kastner It's not Amy Zachariasen's fault that she thinks on a larger scale than most artists. Perhaps it's because her inspiration is drawn directly from the earth. She is a potter, of course, working with raw elements - clay, glazes and primal fire - but she does so in mega-proportions. One giant clay urn that stands outside on the walkway to her studio gallery weighs in at over 400 lbs.. Perhaps Amy thinks big because she has what psychologists call an "enabler". Her husband George, a soft-spoken engineer, designs and builds her tools like the articulated crane she uses to lift tons of clay in her workshop. Together they built the kilns and the buildings that make up the new Zachariasen Studio on Plum Bottom Road south of Egg Harbor. Before coming to Door County a few years ago, she and George built a combination clay studio and horse barn in Denmark, Wisconsin. After spending time at the lumberyard planning a 56' X 40' structure, the two of them worked together unassisted for over 2,400 hours to complete a classic two-story, gambrel-roofed barn. Amy says, "That's when we knew we could stay married…" It seems apparent that the Zachariasens inspire each other to extend themselves beyond the norm. Most people relax playing golf or fishing. Amy and George are spelunkers. They met when Amy was in college at UW/Green Bay. "I can remember waiting in the car for my mother in the Lindy's parking lot on Webster Avenue, reading a magazine called Exclusively Yours, and there was a picture of a guy squeezing in between two giant rocks. The article was about caving and the fellow in the picture was a member of the Wisconsin Speleological Society. Less than six months later I had a chance to go on a school-sponsored caving expedition where I met and eventually married George, the man in the picture." Coming to Door County four years ago was another adventure they embarked upon together. After spending 12 years in their Denmark home and studio, developing a national following for Amy's outdoor sculptural garden pottery, they began to look at property on the Peninsula. The land they found on Plum Bottom Road seemed to be perfect for what they envisioned, but they needed approval to construct a commercial pottery studio in the midst of the surrounding farmlands. Amy explains, "We had to go to the zoning board for hearings. At the second meeting over twenty of our neighbors suddenly showed up…" It turned out that all of their neighbors came to the hearing just to welcome the Zachariasens to the neighborhood. Four years later their home and the new studio and kiln building are now complete, including some exceptionally beautiful landscaping. Amy is also a masterful gardener. Whether she works in clay or in the earth outside her studio, she has a knack for making big impressions. The sumptuous gardens and pools that surround the gallery are the ideal showcase for the gigantic fountains and urns that she creates inside. Amy explains, "I must have been a tree in my before- life… I love leaves, I love the colors, the smell and the feel of the wind." While she jokes about a "past life", her work often includes organic shapes and numerous leaf forms that grace the birdbaths, fountains, garden pottery and large architectural urns that she creates to accent gardens with focal points for reflection, beauty and delight. Zachariasen Studio is located at 4999 Plum Bottom Rd., Egg Harbor. 920.746.0939 and is open from June - October, Thurs. - Mon., from Noon -5 PM or by appointment the year 'round. Stephen Kastner is the editor and photojournalist of DoorCountyCompass.com, the Peninsula's Internet Magazine, and owner of DesignWise.biz in Fish Creek. BACK