Hannah Coker Art

I believe a beautiful life is built in the ordinary moments.

The mug you reach for every morning. The bowl that holds fruit on your kitchen counter. The luminary glowing at the end of a winter day. These small rituals quietly shape how life feels — and that’s why I make ceramics.

I started taking handbuilding workshops in 2015, mostly as an excuse to force myself out of work mode after leaving my last corporate job. I fell in love with clay almost immediately. For years I worked in clay alongside a daily painting practice, taking workshops from multiple artists and slowly finding my voice. Then the pandemic hit, and somewhere in those long, strange months I started taking online sculpture workshops and making faces for the first time. Something clicked. I realized that what I’d always loved about painting — color, texture, a little whimsy — translated completely into three dimensions. When my studio could only be set top for one medium, I chose clay.

In 2025, I built the studio I always wanted: organized, well-lit, and built around the way I work.  Where I can see all of my tools and glazes at one time, and where everything has a place.

For many years my corporate career was centered on helping people and organizations navigate change and build healthier cultures. That chapter looks different from this one, but the purpose underneath is the same — helping make life a little better, one small thing at a time. Today I express that intention through clay.

My work is handbuilt, which means I don’t use a pottery wheel. I start with clay slabs, coils, and/or pinch pots.  I’m drawn to texture, color, and the unexpected: textured surface patterns, botanical and geometric designs, and pieces with a little personality built in. Many of my pieces have faces. I can’t always explain why, but they make people smile, and that feels like enough of a reason.

I’m based in Atlanta, Georgia. I sell through my online shop, at art festivals across the Southeast, and wholesale through IndieMe. I also teach small handbuilding workshops in my studio –  you can see what’s coming up on the Classes page.