Ted Juve is a self-taught ceramist in Enterprise, Oregon. The designs of his work are inspired by the beauty of his surroundings.
Eric Slade, Stephani Gordon/OPB
Ted Juve dreams of going fishing one day. But today is not that day. With dozens of freshly discarded bowls and mugs hardening in the sun, and dozens more about to come out of the oven, his work won’t be done until after the sun goes down.
That’s what happens when you’re one of Wallowa County’s most famous ceramists. Juve’s job is in such high demand that he rarely has time to fish. “Everyone loves their job,” says Katy Madrid, co-owner of The Book Loft in Enterprise. “We take in tourists who have heard of it and are happy to take home a bunch of it. And we have locals who can hardly wait for him to come out with new stuff.
Juve grew up in Enterprise, in the shadow of the Wallowa Mountains. He remembers playing in piles of sand at the age of six as he watched his father build the barn for the family farm. This barn now serves as Juve’s ceramics studio. “Living here on the farm is pretty much a dream come true. I’ve always loved the area and the farm in particular,” he says.
Juve were first exposed to the art of ceramics while attending college in Hermiston. “And by the time I was a senior in high school, I was running the ceramics program. Basically, my art teacher was like, ‘Go ahead, Ted!’ »
“When I graduated from high school in 1973,” he recalls, “I went straight to work for the Forest Service, as a trail crew. And in winter, I jumped on my kicker wheel and made pots every free moment. In 1980, he decided to skip the trail team for a summer and just make pots all year round. “And I’ve never looked back. I’ve been doing ceramics full time ever since.
He is known for the hand-engraved designs on his work, designs that come to him intuitively. “Mountains give off a lot of energy,” he says. “And they have a lot of impact on my work. I’m always very inspired by what I see from my studio window as I work for hours. I look up and you think you’ve seen it all and the next thing you know, something new pops up.
And while he would love to fish, Juve considers himself lucky to spend his days gazing at the mountains and doing what he loves on the farm he has called home for most of his life. “I like to pass that pleasure on to others – the people who are around my work every day, who use my work. I try to put that spirit of the potter into this room so they can pick up on that positive energy. Every piece has a spirit of its own.