Teresa Veno

My Inspiration

My pottery is deeply rooted in the landscapes of my life. I grew up in central Florida, in what I like to think of as “Old Florida”. Nowadays, people associate Florida, especially central Florida, with theme parks, crowded highways, retirees and tourists. While we had all of these back then, I remember spending my childhood playing in landscapes untouched by modern times. We built forts in the orange groves, swam in the lakes and rivers, rode our bikes through remote paths that regularly contained the tracks of wild animals and canoed in remote backwater areas that held no evidence of people ever having gone before us. In the summers we would be outside from morning until dark, only returning during the day to eat before going right back out again. We also spent at part of every summer in the Florida Keys, snorkeling, spear fishing and diving for lobsters. It was here, among the coral reefs that I truly developed my love of color and texture. While I cannot recreate the sounds of the reef (snap, crackle and pop – just like our favorite cereal), I include the vibrant colors and textures in my Colorware line of pottery.

My Journey

The Colors of Old Florida

My first adventures in art started with the Maitland Art Center. I was only 10 years-old when I first took pottery classes there and I loved every second of it. Next, I took drawing and painting classes at Edgewater High School. Several of my pieces were submitted to the Maitland Art Festival and I won two awards in back to back years, including the painting on the right. If things were different, this would have been the start to my artistic career, but life is never that simple.

Weathering the Storm

While my childhood sounds idyllic, like so many others, it had its downsides, too. I learned what it was to go hungry, what it meant when bill collectors hounded you, and what it felt like to have the utilities turned off.

Because of these hardships and more, I determined that I would pick a career where I would never have to worry about my next paycheck. I went to college at the University of Washington in Seattle and although I continued to take some art classes, I pursued a more career-friendly major. Eventually, I became a computer trainer and consultant, focusing on database design and analytics.

The Quiet Subtlety of the Northwest

Moving from Florida to Seattle was also quite a shock. I went from hot, steamy days to 9 months of gray overcast and misty rain. The landscape and weather of the pacific northwest helped me go from impossibly bright colors to subtle tones that on first glance may see one-dimensional, but on closer inspection contain an infinite number of shades and variations. It was here that I grew to love stoneware and it’s understate elegance.

After spending six years in Seattle (4 at the UW and 2 more after), I decided it was time to move back to the east coast. I spent 15 years in Maryland and Northern Virginia. There I met my husband and we had our two wonderful children. We became fed up with the Washington, DC area and moved to North Carolina. I continued to work as a Data Analyst until COVID changed everything for me.

The Path to Healing

After getting COVID in the spring of 2020, I began to experience a series of serious health issues which eventually forced me to medically retire. I needed something to do, so took a pottery class in February of 2026 and the rest, as they say is history. Not only do I love the feel and the process of making things with clay, but pottery, like many other creative activities, is neuroregulating – a greatly needed activity for my health and well being.

Today, my studio is not just where I make pottery; it is where I find focus, peace and balance – all things I hope to share with you through every piece I create.