Life at the Wheel
The distinctive work of local ceramics legend Mark Arnegard
By Lisa Di Pietro
Published on 01/24/2008

Mark Arnegard, better known to fans of his artistic abilities as “Arne,” started his career in ceramics at Northern Arizona University in a beginning ceramics class with other students who all shared the simple desire of creation. Challenging controversial ideas of what a degree in ceramics would bring him, Arnegard found himself sitting on the edge of the Grand Canyon, after graduation, creating pottery for countless visitors and tourists.
Amongst the dark-orange sunsets and the curves of the canyon walls, Arnegard threw raku pottery daily as he sat along the crevasses and turns of the rocky canyon interior. After being awarded a National Endowment for the Arts grant, Arnegard became the first artist to be employed and housed by Grand Canyon National Park and for two summers he lived at the South Rim of the canyon. He even encouraged those in charge to obey the demands of his admires and sell his hand thrown mugs, bowls and other assorted pieces at the canyon. While residing within a stone’s throw of the canyon walls, Arnegard taught ceramics classes, gave demonstrations and refined his own artistic talent.
“My experience and time spent in the Grand Canyon helped earn me enough money to open my own studio and gallery in Flagstaff,” Arnegard says.
“For awhile I had the ‘starving artists’ syndrome, but I was too stubborn to give up and it paid off.”
As his studio celebrates its 30th year on West Route 66, Arnegard continues to create each piece of pottery on-site with the same artistic passion he embodied during his days and nights at the canyon.
Arnegard spends his free time in the outdoors, where he partakes in river running, hiking and mountain biking. His zest for nature and his knack for ceramics combine to produce the colorful winter scenes he labels his pottery with.
“I sell everything I make, and everything I make is an original one-of-a-kind piece,” Arnegard says. “I value quality of craftsmanship over everything else, so when people purchase a mug or a bowl I know it’s that first-class quality that will keep them coming back for more.”
Arnegard displays his work at his studio, Arne Ceramics, and at The Artists Gallery. For 15 years he has worked with the gallery and has developed his craft as the gallery expanded to include other devoted Flagstaff artists. Currently, Arnegard boasts two large displays at the gallery, full of his bowls, plates, mugs and even a tea pot complete with four small cups.
Arnegard employs only one half-time assistant for help in throwing his pottery, so he can keep up with his high demand. All of the cobalt blue, yellow, red, black, white and lavender glazing he applies himself in perfectly meshed explosions of color with strong undertones that depict the feel of a crisp January winter day in Northern Arizona.
“I like fun designs and mountain silhouettes,” Arnegard says. “I have always loved to ski. It feels natural to me, and I’ve been skiing since I was a kid. I think a lot of that shows in my scenic winter pieces.”
One popular piece in particular consists of the San Francisco Peaks as a circular border of a large, dark blue plate. Countless other plates sit adorned with Arnegard’s trademark pine tree scenes, in which a couple of simplistically drawn pine trees stand tall and mighty on the backdrop of blizzard-suffocated sunsets.
His bowls and mugs exhibit the same winter feel, as he blends darker and lighter shades of brown, yellow, green, blue and purple in upside down mountain-shaped circular patterns and other organic designs. The colors bleed together on the pieces, giving the illusion of a giant dripping rainbow draped over a hard ceramic base.
“You can always explore and evolve with clay. You can always develop your skill,” Arnegard says. “Sometimes I have to stop one style cold turkey before I can pick up a new one, so the look and feel of my work is constantly evolving and changing.”
The evolution of Arnegard’s hand thrown high fire stoneware remains evident at The Artists Gallery. Amongst his traditional pine tree plates and blue-toned mugs rests a lone set of yellow and black bowls, a black mug splattered with scare blue dots, and a functional dark blue tea set.
“My pieces are very well traveled, more so than I am. I believe I have a piece on every continent except for Antarctica,” Arnegard says. “These pieces have been in circulation for such a long time that I get people who purchased a piece from me 10 years ago returning to see what else I have created. Of course Flagstaff has built up since then, so they’re always surprised to find me and my studio in the same exact place.”
Although an already established artist in the Flagstaff community, Arnegard has big goals and plans for the future of his craft.
“Anything is possible,” Arnegard says. “I might try out watercolor or I might try my hand at some metal creations. Sometimes I amaze myself at the pieces I produce just by giving up one style and experimenting with another. Experimentation comes from succession, and so I’m always taking new ideas and running with them to see where I end up. It’s very refreshing.”
Arne Ceramics is located at 1960 W. Route 66, 928-779-0429. Visit www.arneceramics.com to take a look at Arnegard’s hand thrown high fire stoneware and for ordering information.