Oak Leaves in Summer

Mary Ellen Free is a remarkably-talented ceramicist. She currently resides in Bainbridge, Georgia creating and teaching pottery in her River Oaks Pottery Studio.

Mary Ellen’s journey in art began as a child with a love for color and beauty. From her first set of crayons and colored pencils, art became her passion. Throughout her life, she explored various art forms, including acrylics, pastels, pottery, and silversmithing. This passion led her to George Mason University and a degree in Fine Arts. While there, she focused on painting, graphic design and three-dimensional art.

She began her business career as a computer illustrator and graphic designer. Though she enjoyed the work, she longed to spend time painting and creating pottery. This longing grew stronger over time. After raising her family, she began devoting her time to her calling: expressing the deep beauty of God’s world through pottery. This led to teaching art and sharing her calling with others.

Her passion for wheel throwing and hand building has led her to create unique vessels that highlight animals and landscapes. She uses throwing, hand building, and sculpture to showcase the beauty of the natural world. Her passion for color has driven her to innovate with new and interesting glazing techniques. Every element on each vessel is hand painted, allowing her to layer different glazes on top of each other to achieve stunning and unique effects. Her goal is to create images that connect people to the beauty of nature in hopes of eliciting a sense of wonder and joy for the world we live in.

Her pottery is showcase at Gallery on Park and across the southeast. Mary Ellen is also the curator of the Firehouse Gallery in Bainbridge Georgia, where she enjoys seeing the art culture grow in her community.