Clary Illian is a potter who lives in Ely, Iowa. Illian apprenticed at Leach Pottery from 1964-65.
Hewing to the Leach philosophy, her subsequent work concentrated on the purity of the pot’s form and the potter’s life – one lived with strong convictions and a pure heart. She continues to produce useful daily pottery for local customers at a reasonable price. Clary Illian: A Potter’s Potter, a retrospective at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, exhibited from August 2012 to February 2013.
L: Clary Illian in her studio, Mark Markley photograph
R: Clary Illian, Bowl, Collection of the artist, Courtesy of the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Tanya Schulte/AKAR Gallery photograph
Potters Jeff Oestreich, Clary Illian, and Jason Trebs talk about the St Croix Pottery Tour