From birdhouses and toad hideouts to cookie jars and wall hangings, Oak Openings Pottery is an impressive display of one man’s imagination and artistry.
That man is John Thies who tells a fascinating story of his beginnings in pottery.
On a visit to the pottery business down a long lane on County Road EF near Swanton, John’s designs are on display for the public to admire and to buy. After viewing a variety of pieces in an outdoor display, visitors enter the large showroom that is bright with natural light that highlights the myriad of designs.
While admiring John’s work, I asked a standard question, How long have you been doing this? John’s answer was a praise to educators that is always a joy to hear.
John has been designing pottery for more than 50 years because he began as a teenager.
He confided that when he was a student at McHenry High School near Chicago, he was active in sports, but at 15, he recalled he was beginning to get in trouble.
In an effort to help him and other students with problems, the school offered special classes. John chose art classes. The pottery classes that were in the art curriculum attracted John’s interest and he has never swayed from it. After high school, he worked in several pottery businesses with a goal of learning something new and different.