Shannyn Dowsett-Slug in the Mud Studio

Slug in the Mud Studio is the home studio of potter Shannyn Dowsett, where she creates her work and has offered classes through 2025 and 2026. Shannyn has been fully immersed in ceramics for the past three years, building on an eclectic, multidisciplinary arts background spanning 25 years.

With an educational background in Interior Design, Technical Theatre, and Environmental Practice, she brings a broad range of ideas, design sensibility, and artistic display to her work. Twelve years in live theatre — working on more than 100 productions across costumes, props, and paint — combined with six years with the National Parks in Nature Interpretation, shape her focus today: crafting imaginative pieces inspired by nature, whimsy, and a touch of make-believe.

Shannyn was raised in Okotoks, AB, and has lived in Calgary, Banff, and Pincher Creek. She frequents Vancouver Island and considers it her second home. A love of the rocky coastline, paired with a life spent on the open prairies with the Rockies always in view, keeps her constantly inspired by landscape and the natural world. Her work's themes center on growing up on the prairies, with the Rocky Mountains to the west and the rocky Pacific coasts of British Columbia to reach toward.

Her work is carried at The Lebel in Pincher Creek, Allied Arts Works in Lethbridge, and The Collective in Okotoks, and has been featured in multiple shows across Alberta.

A dedicated instructor, Shannyn now offers classes in Okotoks at Fig Studio Arts.