Amanda Proctor has always been a huge supporter of Local Supply, stopping by whenever she gets the chance to. If you don't know who Amanda is, she's most known for her Pet Portraits, and you’ve probably seen her magnolia kitchenware inside Local Supply. Her love for pottery started in high school after taking a ceramics class. From there, she continued on to college at the University of Georgia for a Fine Arts degree that was focused in Ceramics & Pottery. After she graduated, Amanda became involved in art festivals in Georgia where she started selling pottery. She also taught pottery classes at a local studio called Good Dirt located in Athens. In 2019, she moved to Louisiana and quickly inserted herself into the art market scene here. She says she loves participating in Louisiana markets and meeting locals. She feels “like [she] was quickly welcomed into the makers community in Baton Rouge.” You can even find her at some Local Pop-Up markets.
Her pottery business mostly centers around her Pet Portraits, which continue to be her best selling products. Her favorite part of the Pet Portraits is being able to bring an intricately hand-carved and painted pet portrait together with the functionality of a mug. This makes each mug, treat jar, and urn a unique piece of art. Compared to a regular pet portrait that is confined to hanging on a wall, her Pet Portraits are able to be touched, held, and used every day. To her, “the best compliment is when a customer's pet portrait mug becomes the first they grab every day for morning coffee!” If you haven’t seen her work before, definitely take the time to find her work on Instagram and see how she hand carves, molds, and paints each item. She's currently accepting commissions and can be ordered through her website.
When Amanda isn’t glued to her pottery wheel, you can find her either volunteering at her church or relaxing at home with her husband, Zach, and her two cats, Haze and Cotton. Most of the time, she is usually creating something with her hands, which includes drawing. She is also a book worm and plant mama.
Now in Louisiana, Amanda has continued to hold pottery classes at Creative Crafts on Florida Blvd. She teaches beginner and intermediate pottery classes to share her love of pottery. The Local Supply crew took one of her classes as a team building exercise. We were able to bring home our mugs, bowls, and planters a few weeks later! Definitely a great way to relax, learn something new, and have some bonding time. Amanda currently hosts 4-week sessions to make your own set of pottery. You can also schedule a 2-hour workshop that is a great activity to bring your friends or family to.
Amanda will also be hosting her own workshop at Local Supply! On Friday, September 8th from 6PM-8PM, she will guide you through the process of creating a mug out of clay while you create your own. You will get to add clay decorations and paint the mug with your favorite colors. After the workshop, Amanda will keep the mugs to fire in a pottery kiln and glaze them. Your mugs will be ready to pick up from Local Supply in a few weeks! Grab your friends or family members and reserve your spot at localsupplybr.com to create your own mug!
