Latigo & Lace Artist Showcase – Don Hanson

Photo credit Christi Levine Don Hanson is a native of Great Falls and has been a professional potter for 52 years. He went to high school in Great Falls, went to college at Eastern Montana College and Billings, and went to pottery schools and workshops all over the Western United States and Canada. Don was in the Army Reserve in Great Falls for five years and one year in Billings, a potter in Seattle for years, and has been back in Great Falls for at least 20 years. He started in college as a watercolor artist and found that he had more success working three-dimensionally than he did with two-dimensional. He had much more success with sculpture and pottery and has been doing it ever since. “I'm never bored,” Don explained. “In fact, as near as my records show, since I started making pottery and selling things, I've made over 35,000 coffee cups alone. I make plates, platters, pie plates, baking dishes, bathroom sinks, and dinnerware sets, and it just goes on and on. And if I get tired of making something, I just quit making it, because there are so many other things to make.” All cooking items that Don creates can be used in the microwave, oven, and even the dishwasher. “I put handles on them, so if you throw some leftovers in it, you can cook it in the microwave and then put it on the table and eat right out of it.” Don has always enjoyed life and getting up in the morning and going to work. “One thing about making pottery is it’s trial and error,” explained Don. “My losses can be really high. Whether it's things crack or warp or the glaze runs off, and sometimes they're just ugly. I've got a really high standard I guess, I took a hammer to a piece of pottery yesterday. It was okay, but I kept looking at it and didn't know what I was going to do with it. Occasionally, I'll clean out my studio and I do it with a hammer over a garbage can. And I'm comfortable doing that. It’s all just relaxing.” To find his work and many others, stop by Latigo & Lace, and tell them you found them in the Great Falls Gazette. While you are there enjoy some great coffee. Photo credit Christi Levine