Cindy Sugg

Pottery 

Cindy Sugg has been throwing pots on and off since her first experience with the art while attending 5th grade in Japan. She continued to learn and practice through her schooling, ultimately using pottery as a segue to arts therapy while earning a Masters degree in Recreational Therapy from UT. She then continued creating both functional pottery and whimsical garden and other ornamental pieces when time between parenting and running a business allowed.

Cindy’s introduction to Zentangle (more about that later) and her daughter heading off to college, both of which occurred in 2018, led to a new resolve and a new twist in her approach to pottery. With the nest empty, Cindy started taking pottery classes again, then rented some studio space and eventually purchased studio gear from a studio that was closing up shop. That same year, she discovered Zentangle, which she describes as a “natural next step” for a life-long doodler.

According to it’s creators, a New England caligrapher and her husband, “Zentangle Method is an easy-to-learn, relaxing, and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns….You create tangles with combinations of dots, lines, simple curves, S-curves and orbs. Zentangle art is non-representational and unplanned so you can focus on each stroke and not worry about the result.

As you use the Zentangle Method …you likely will enjoy increased focus, creativity, self-confidence and an increased sense well-being.”

In essence, Zentangle is a confluence of Zen mindfullness and a free-flowing drawing technique. Cindy sees this as not only a two-dimensional artform, but also as a method for embellishing her pottery creations. Intricate and mesmerizing drawings adorn her ceramic creations. Her practice led her to instructor training and she has been teaching Zentangle classes since 2020.

Pottery and drawing aren’t the only artforms in Cindy’s life. For nearly two decades,  she’s been the owner and teacher at Knox Kindermusik, an early childhood music and movement program that nurtures a child’s cognitive, emotional, social, language and physical development.

Reflecting on what attracted her to the Appalachian Arts Craft Center, Cindy says she was moved by the “strong sense of community at the AACC pottery studio.” Her decorative and functional pottery is available for purchase in our gift shop. You’re also likely to find an opportunity to learn Zentangle with Cindy on our schedule of upcoming classes.