Doug Cole received his art education at UNI and was a secondary art instructor for 33 years. In 2000 he retired and established Cole Art Pottery in Sumner, Iowa. Cole specializes in one of a kind wheel-thrown electric fired, cone six functional and decorative pottery. Doug’s pottery philosophy centers on the durability and endless designing options that stoneware clay provides, along with the physical and tactile challenges of this medium. His “earthy” clay pieces emphasize rubbed iron-oxide surfaces with a variety of poured and dripped glaze patterns. Deep and shallow bowls, vases, bottlenecks and lidded forms make up the majority of Cole’s pottery productions.
A recent line of pottery involves the attachment of Devonian era marine fossils that are affixed to various pottery forms. These fossils are collected by the artist at the Rockford Iowa Fossil and Prairie Park. Cole exhibits his pottery at a number of art festivals and galleries in the upper Midwest.