Pinto Projects is a creative exploration through the medium of clay by artist Emmalee Madden. Every piece is made meticulously by hand in Sechelt, B.C. The focus is on high quality wares informed by a minimalist aesthetic and inspired by the tones and textures of the natural world. 

The hope is to create moments of reflection and a sense of grounding in using objects made by hands and hard work. I believe these little moments can draw us closer together and can make the world a more beautiful and safe place. Ultimately, the objects that we choose to keep around us become a part of how we experience life. I would like my work to be a comfort to people in their daily lives, connecting them in a small way to each other and even the collective human experience.

All pieces from the Pinto studio are made on a pottery wheel or are hand-built. It is an extensive and time consuming process from start to finished piece. I am an idealist and believe in the power of creating, no matter the medium. The greatest joy of my life is to be able to make art every day. I am so incredibly grateful to have the opportunity to make objects that live with other people in their daily lives.

Thank you for stopping by.

- Emmalee

Pinto is currently a solo studio practice in a home studio (garage). For this reason, I don't often open my studio to the public. However, starting in November, I will be offering local pickup and shopping by appointment on select Fridays and Saturdays. I hope to make shopping local pottery more convenient for coasters and visitors to the coast.

My studio journey has been long and not easy. I've been making pottery for around 8 years.

I started by taking a community centre beginners class for wheel throwing and became completely obsessed. I kept a membership there for a year or so and would go several times a week to practice. When I started thinking about selling work, I started making slip-cast pieces on my balcony, then would walk them over to a local U Paint I Fire pottery shop to be fired. I learned a lot about glaze chemistry and firing kilns during this time.

Eventually I made my way over to the coast with the goal of having my own studio, and basically just jumped head-first into it. I started my studio in a spare bedroom, and it was never glamorous. I still didn't have access to a kiln on-site, and would drive 45 minutes to fire each small batch. This is when I started my wholesale journey, and I had many shops put trust in me to create pieces for them. I did collaborations with Ecologyst, Oak + Fort, and sold to many shops across Canada.

After around 4 years of doing this, the burnout from creating so much work for little margins really started to wear on me, especially since I still didn't have my own kiln. I decided to take a break that ended up being around 2 years. I took a remote corporate job, and was able to make things that I wanted to, here and there sporadically, as I felt I wanted to, with no pressure. This was a really important time for me to let go and really intentionally pivot what I wanted Pinto to be.

This year I finally have my own kiln and time and space to be able to create the kind of work that I want to, to experiment with no production pressures, and to make art. I am so excited for this coming year!