Lee Phillips

Mud Water Studios

Malagash, Nova Scotia

Now that I had become a retired Crime Analyst from a mid-sized Police Force in Ontario, I was finally able to create full time instead of part time at the kitchen table. We soon built the studio of my dreams and I dabbled in everything from drawing and painting to refinishing furniture and running an “upscale garage sale” here in Malagash, Nova Scotia. While I consumed every hobby, met some amazing people and learned a lot in the process, something was missing. I wasn’t truly touched by any of the art media I had worked with to that point.

Then, I attended a local mug-making workshop in 2019. I became fascinated by what I thought was the entire art form. Little did I know, I had barely scratched the surface of what was soon to become a full on obsession. The Instructor and I became fast friends and she was kind enough to allow me to shadow her while she worked. I was a sponge for this hands-on knowledge and soon started thinking about setting up my own shop.

The sign for Mud Water Studios was officially hung in late 2024 after 3 years of research, workspace development, trial and error with different types of clays and glazes, and being in pursuit of the answer to the question, “What is my style, anyway?”. While I am still working on that one, some customers in the know say my style is not mainstream, a bit quirky and somewhat animated. I play with mugs and bowls as most beginning potters do, but I also like to sculpt characters and work with unusual shapes and textures. I tend toward loose, beautifully flawed (unstructured) pieces that are perfectly imperfect. I find I am 75% hand-built and 25% thrown. I feel that hand-building gives me more space to really connect with the piece and more opportunity to push boundaries.

These days, my time is spent creating unusual, organic boxes, cups, planters and such, for two yearly open house dates. I love listening to coffee house and acoustic guitar music and sipping bold, artisan coffee from my strange, tentacle mug for hours on end. When I emerge from the shop covered in mud, I garden a little, bake a bit and spend quality time with those I love and admire.

Email: mudleewater@gmail.com

Instagram: @mudleewater

facebook.com/mudleewater (search Mud Water Studios)

Tiktok@Tiktok.com@mudlee77