Our Staff
Zeppelin
Chief Snack Eater
Has been doing pottery for zero years and can’t yet work the wheel or handle a bag of clay. He isn’t very motivating, but he will put unwanted hair in your pottery pieces.
Griffin Marsh
CO-Owner/Head Teacher
Griffin, a Wyoming native, has been making pottery for 20 years, and working professionally for 10. He is interested in large, decorative wares in porcelain and stoneware.
Griffin specializes in throwing but is well versed in hand building. Most of Griffin’s personal work is fired in either high-fire reduction kilns, or atmospheric kilns.
One of his favorite things about being a private educator is seeing people grow in their own personal interests in clay. He opened Terra Tactile to be a place where knowledge and experimentation can go hand in hand to foster a continued interest in clay.
Emily Faxon
Owner/Admin/ Party Planner
Emily, a Rhode Island native, took her first pottery class in 2022. You probably won’t see her behind a wheel but you will see her around the studio making sure things jive. She loves creating community and spaces where people feel comfortable. If you ask nicely, she’ll tell you about her first date with Griffin. Or their wedding. She opened Terra Tactile so members can be comfortable in their creative expression.
Melanie Unruh
Wheel and Hand building Instructor
Melanie is a Denver-area ceramic artist specializing in functional pottery. Working in both wheel-thrown and hand-built methods. Melanie produces pottery that features elegant forms and interesting surface decoration. She is a graduate of the Ceramics program at Arapahoe Community College and is currently a student in the Bachelor of Fine Arts program at Metro State University in Denver. Melanie is a member of the Arvada Ceramic Arts Guild and of the Arapahoe Ceramics Guild.
Conifer Smith
Wheel Instructor
Conifer Smith is a ceramic artist working primarily in clay for over forty years.
Publications include:
- Wood Fired Ceramics- 100 Contemporary Artists- Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
- 500 Teapots, Volume 2- Lark Publishing
Smith holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Fine Arts. As a professor of arts for over twenty years, she has traveled the world, researching and refining knowledge and techniques.
Currently residing in Denver, Colorado, Smith continues to research and explore new ways to dance with clay.
Want to Join the Team?
We are looking for any person that has a high level of ceramic experience and knowledge in form, surface decoration, creativity, and practicality in clay. Instructors are required to demonstrate consistency in throwing or hand making, by being able to reproduce similar forms perfectly. For inquiries and an interview, please contact Griffin.
