Saskia Praamsma

Clayton, Ontario

My mother, Frieda Koch, was a potter/ceramic artist in Amsterdam, so I started working with clay, when I was 4 years old. I lived 6 years in Madison Wisconsin USA, took courses at the Ceramic department of the university of Wisconsin and worked with the well known potter Don Reitz. To work with clay in the States was incredible inspiring. There was so much energy to be creative and make crazy things.
We moved to Canada and while my husband Sietze was technician at Sheridan school of design I worked there on my own and focused totally on raku for a year. Then worked another year at Harbourfront in Toronto teaching and continued working in raku.
Next 3 years in Thamaga Botswana, where we directed a pottery studio.
Back to Canada where we settled in Clayton Ontario, set up our studio and raised 3 kids.
For 12 years I worked at Dovercourt recreation centre as technician and instructor.
Sietze and I worked for 7 months at the Turquoise Mountain Foundation in Afghanistan.
21 years I was the director of the Almonte Potters Guild.
throughout all this time I have participated in shows and studio tours.
Now back to our studio in Clayton.