Will McCanless
Co-founder/ Creative Lead
Will is one of our founders and clay instructors. He is the proud father of two sweet little angels, Evelynn and Delling who provide him constant and enthusiastic inspiration.
Originally from Seagrove, North Carolina, USA, Will moved to Australia in 2019 to work as a production potter and clay instructor at Bendigo Pottery.
Will is a second-generation potter from Seagrove, N.C., a town of nearly 100 pottery studios, and a 200-year-old pottery making tradition.
Will apprenticed with his parents before working full time in the family business ‘Dover Pottery’ for 16 years. He later established his own studio and gallery ‘McCanless Pottery’ in 2006. Will opened an additional gallery in 2009, and operated both until he immigrated to Australia in 2019.
Since his move to Australia Will has worked for Bendigo Pottery, Academy Bendigo School of Art, Elizabeth Bell Ceramics, Muddle Ceramics, Ian Clare Studio Pottery, and Faludi Ceramics as a production potter and clay instructor. Will also served as President and Executive Director of Castlemaine Clay in Castlemaine, VIC.
Will is co-founder of The Celebration of Seagrove Potters which is currently one of the largest pottery festivals in the southeast of the US. He has served on the boards of ‘The Museum of North Carolina Traditional Pottery’ and later with the ‘Seagrove Area Potters Association’.
Will’s work has been primarily focused on brush decoration, zinc silicate crystalline glaze, wood fired pottery, and has some experience with Raku and reduction firing.
To find out more about Will, visit his FB page: Peder Wilhelm McCanless and IG: @mccanlesspottery.
Amor Tanggapan
Co-founder
Amor is the ‘heart of our business’. She is a proud and devoted mother of two amazing boys, Caleb and Shaundrei. She came from an artistic family and grew up singing and making beautiful drawings. Although she never pursued this as a career, it becomes her way of destressing from the ‘daily grind’. She is a Registered Nurse in the Philippines, New Zealand and now Australia from 2019.
She enjoys going to the beach, cooking, illustrating and taking her boys on random trips and adventures. She is a homemaker and has a newfound love in gardening and growing vegetables. She is currently working as a nurse in the public hospital and will be working with us in the studio offsite and onsite.
Amor’s administrative nursing experience will uniquely add a different ingredient to make our business stand out. As we value our NDIS and aged care community, Amor will also be our main support in the studio as a healthcare professional herself.
“Pottery will be a therapeutic and creative experience for the young and old—for everyone regardless of having no or little experience. It is a means to socialize and connect with people from all walks of life. It is a chance and a way to recuperate from what had been the effects of a stressful pandemic year. It will be something you may want as a hobby or an opportunity for new beginnings. It is going to be a bonding with friends and families, or maybe meet someone. It will be making your own household essentials and decorations—something that you will learn to cherish more. “
Tori Roberts
Teacher
Born into art and creativity, Victoria (Tori) Roberts became a versatile and free flowing artist from observing various art forms growing up in an art school in Hampton, Victoria. With her formative experiences, Tori chose a creative path in education, completing various studies in art, design and photography.
After travelling and working as a barista through her early 20s, Tori completed further study in Psychological Sciences. This pathway lead to specialising in behavioural support for people with disabilities. Tori Balances many creative endeavours, from hand dyeing to pottery, alongside her career caring for people.
Tori has a relaxed, adaptive approach to her artwork, with an emphasis on function and comedy. “Handling clay is wonderfully therapeutic. Getting your hands messy can be a welcome distraction from the grind of every day life, a full sensory experience. Pottery workshops provide a unique outlet for creativity and socialisation.”