About Will & Janel

Will and Janel have nurtured and encouraged one another’s love for making pottery since they met in 1984.  Together they have forged a life that evolves around the needs of their family, making pots, and their enjoyment of the annual cycle of the seasons.  Most satisfying to Janel and Will are the words of appreciation from customers regarding the enjoyment they have had from using their pots.

The driving forces beyond the joy of making pots are the events that they produce twice a year at Sunrise Pottery in Sunrise, Minnesota.  Since its inception in 1993, they have been a part of coordinating the Saint Croix Valley Pottery Tour, and are one of the seven host studios each Mother’s Day weekend in May.  In October they hold an annual fall sale at their studio with several guest potters.

More recently pottery has been only been available in their web shops. As in-person shopping returns, their web shops will remain open and stocked with pots.

Will and Janel work year around at the studio, working more than full-time making pots and planning the upcoming events. Will’s focus is on making table ware including plates of various sizes and shapes, cups, bowls and serving dishes including medium and large bowls and platters.  He uses mainly stoneware clay.  Janel makes a broad assortment of useful pieces from porcelain clay, such as teapots, mugs and cups, bowls, plates and dinnerware, and pots that are useful with food preparation and serving.

The showroom shelves are generally well filled with pottery made by both Janel and Will.  Until March of 2020 visitors were welcomed to visit Sunrise Pottery in Sunrise, Minnesota, in all seasons.  At this point in time we prefer that the showroom remains closed to visitors. They anticipate reopening the showroom as vaccination levels have increased to where most visitors will be vaccinated.

“Thank you for your interest in the work that we do.  We miss you, and look forward to in-person visits in future times to our showroom and to the annual event group sales.  Until then please enjoy browsing and shopping in our on-line shops.”