The MudCrew (a work in progress!)

JoAnn Stratakos Founder, Owner, Potter

The entire MudCrew (2021) outside of the shop... In other words, one big happy family!

The MudWorks Administrative Team! (L-R: Deanna, JoAnn, Ryan)

JoAnn Stratakos
​I like to think that I came into pottery by what I call the “back door”.  I wasn’t so much interested in the clay as I was in creating something that would take me out of myself and, at the same time, into myself. I had just lost my grandmother (whom I adored) and my father (with whom I still had “issues”). I was working a high stress job and raising two teenage kids. I needed a new creative outlet.

I made my first “bucket list” at forty, after those two deaths. I was determined not to leave a stone unturned or an avenue unexplored in all the things I wanted to do with my life. Pottery was the second item on the list. After the clay seeped into my pores, the rest of the list vanished.

I was totally unprepared for my first clay class. I was overdressed, my nails were too long, and I had no idea what to expect. I have never looked back. You know the saying, when the student is ready the teacher will appear. My teacher appeared in the form of a crusty, old gentleman who really did not want a beginner student, but I convinced him otherwise. I spent five nights a week in his studio and every weekend for about a year and a half, immersing myself in clay, absorbing all his knowledge. Slowly I became a ceramicist without any formal education in the field, just hours and hours of work that felt like play.

I left my high-pressured executive job a mere two years later, and started teaching pottery so I could learn even more. I have been throwing, teaching, sharing my love of clay and hopefully influencing some folks along the way.  

My studio is now located in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania where I live and work a half day everyday. Twelve hours is a half day, right? Fortunately, it doesn’t feel like work and there I found the key to happiness…going to work everyday and not being able to tell the difference between work and play! MudWorks Pottery has grown in leaps and bounds over the past five years. It is now a full production studio and I manage a staff of 15, creating whimsical and functional pottery to retail and wholesale customers all across the country. Every piece is still thrown on the wheel, hand dipped in our own lead free glazes and hand painted. We also have a gift shop open to the public year round! 

Ryan
Ryan is a part of the administrative team at MudWorks, and he is the head of the shipping department. He graduated from Keystone College with a BS in Art Education. He has been part of the MudCrew for several years. He throws almost all of our pottery and has a hand in all aspects of production, also notably including mixing glazes, making molds and stencils. His future plans include one day owning his own studio and creating his own ceramic work. 

Deanna
Deanna is a part of the administrative team at MudWorks. She is a graduate of Northampton Community College, focused in the Arts. She has been working at MudWorks for ten years with a few months off to start a family! She used to mainly work in mug assembly, but her role at MudWorks has expanded greatly. When she's not utilizing her skills as a master carver, she may be found managing ecommerce activity, organizing orders, working with files and labels, and helping to manage the stages of production.

Delora
Delora has been a part of the MudWorks Pottery team since 2016! Her time at MudWorks has given her the skills to work in many stations, as she does now, though she most often is found in assembly, where she works to help the section run smoothly. She also helps to form handles for pieces and roll out slab among other tasks. Without our hardworking team in assembly, the adorable designs that MudWorks is known for could not be made!​

​Jenine
Jenine works primarily in the painting department! Having been a part of the team since 2017, she loves to think up design ideas. Jenine always does her best to help the paint section run smoothly and maintain the paint supply for production. Outside of the workplace, Jenine enjoys painting in watercolor, frequently drawing inspiration from flowers (much like those seen stamped on many a MudWorks mug).

Stevie
A Kutztown University student studying Graphic Design, Stevie primarily finds herself working in assembly. Her days are often full of forming handles, attaching applications to pieces, and mastering the art of score and slip! But practical skills are not her only strength, as Stevie is often one to show some MudWorks hospitality and help visiting customers in the storefront.

Marie F
Marie F has been at MudWorks for quite some time, but has more recently found herself specializing in the paint section! Tasked with many different color patterns, shapes, and wording to remember, our painters still manage to get the job done with ease. In her spare time, Marie enjoys creating her own artwork with mediums like polymer clays and resin.

Rebecca
Rebecca is a high school student in the Class of 2022! She has been very helpful to the entire MudCrew as she dabbles in all sections. As depicted, she can frequently be found pushing out parts, but her skill set widens with each day, and she is continuing to become an extremely versatile member of the team.

Courtney
​Courtney is relatively new to the painting department, having joined the MudCrew in 2020. Here on the left she is shown with an adorable Frankencat mug which she had been painting. In addition to her work in the paint section, she will occasionally help with the bisque and latex steps of production.

Christine
Christine mostly works in the latex stage of production, but she has helped out at many other stations. When not working with latex, she may be found pushing out parts, sanding bisqueware, or even possibly at the paint table! 

​Fran
Fran primarily works in sanding greenware, and she has also found herself taking a role in MudWorks' social media outreach activity! She has recently begun to branch out even more into learning other aspects of production.

​Marie L
The newest member of the MudCrew, Marie L joined the team in 2021. However, her cheery demeanor has already made her fit in well as one of the team! Her work primarily consists of sanding greenware and bisqueware, though she occasionally helps with latexing pieces.

Steve
Steve is JoAnn's husband! But keeping her happy is not the only way he helps around the studio. Steve pugs clay and helps to prepare pottery for shipping. Possibly most importantly, though, Steve can be counted on to cook up a delicious storm whenever the MudCrew get together for an event!