Our Staff

Elizabeth Padilla, Director
Elizabeth received her AA from Columbia Community College, CA in 1981.  After raising two sons, she returned to school and earned her BA in Studio Art from Humboldt State University in 2007. Her strong liberal arts education focused on philosophy, the sciences and art. Her love of art, parenting and professional qualities have shaped the growth of the Fire Arts Center since 2003.

David Jordan, Senior Studio Technician
David earned a BA in Fine Arts from Humboldt State University and an MFA in Studio Art from UC Santa Barbara. From 1990-2013 he worked as an art educator in a variety of positions. See more of David's work at www.jordanclayart.com.

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Bob Raymond, Instructor
Bob received a Master of Arts degree in Ceramics from San Diego State University in 1987.  He taught ceramics at Palomar College - San Marcos for ten years and during that time was a San Diego Potters' Guild member.   For three years he was a R.O.P. production pottery lab tech and for many years in the San Diego area he participated in numerous Galleries, Shows and Sales.
Since 2001 he has been a member of The Fire Arts Center and has held a private studio since 2003.  Bob teaches ceramic classes to adults and children in addition to specialty classes. He also offers services for custom orders from sinks to place settings.
For over 17 years he has thrown piece work for Liscom Hill Pottery and North Bay Clay Works.  In his 45 year career he estimates having thrown over 125,000 pieces not including hand built or slip cast pieces.
Bob says of his work, " I remain creative, inventive, and open to intuitive possibilities, after all, it is a human experience with a balance between what is personal and what is shared."

Peggy Loudon, Instructor
Peggy Loudon has been creating beautiful, functional pieces for many years in Humboldt County. She is an instructor at Fire Arts and has shown her work in many local and national shows. Peggy’s work has been featured in several publications, including Ceramics Monthly, Craft of Northern California, Ceramics Today and the California Association of Clay and Glass Artists of Northern California and was a selected artist on the KEET Television Special “Studio Space’. “By integrating form, proportion, and texture. I strive to create work that brings a sense of beauty and calm to the home.  Work that transcends time and will continue to have integrity throughout my lifetime and beyond”.

Elaine Y Shore, Instructor
Elaine joined FAC as a member in 2009 and never left.  She works in porcelain, has recently switched to Cone 6. Her work can be seen locally at Arcata Artisans Cooperative and Trinidad Art Gallery, two local artist cooperatives, and at other venues.
She teaches Glazing and Surface Decoration classes at Fire Arts.

Susan Beecher, Instructor
Susan Beecher is a nationally recognized Studio Potter whose work has appeared in more than 80 national juried shows over the past 30 years.  She was the  Director of Sugar Maples Center for the Arts in Maplecrest, New York for 15 years, where she taught workshops and expanded the offerings of the center.  She has taught workshops at art centers throughout the Northeast, and Florida.  Her work has appeared in  articles in Ceramics Monthly & Studio Pottery.  In 2005, a book exploring her work was published by Catskill Press:  Susan Beecher: Wood Fired Pottery. “In my working methods & style, I attempt to carry on the folk traditions of the past while trying to marry these concepts to a contemporary flavor of form, surface and gesture. I hope that my pots speak of home, family and close friends sitting down together to a delicious meal served in hand-made pots that reflect warmth and generosity.”
She also loves to garden, read and listen to folk music.