Michael Anderson creates his artworks in the studio he built overlooking the town of Cordova located on the shores of Orca Inlet, Price William Sound. This Alaskan marine environment influences all of his work whether it is functional pottery or architectural relief tile.

     The son of an Architect and a Designer, Michael discovered the medium of clay at Boise State University when he took an elective class. There he had the good fortune of studying under John Takehara, combining Japanese aesthetics with a demand to go beyond the usual.

Upon arriving in Alaska in 1982 Anderson was inspired and worked in pen and ink but always had clay on his mind. Perseverance was required to acquire workspace and create an atmospheric kiln that would fire with oil, an uncommon fuel for modern kilns but the only economically viable fuel available in Cordova. The struggle paid off when in 1989 his first show sold out. The work is still fired with oil but in a much bigger kiln.

The functional work he creates combines simplicity of form with functional sculptural enhancements. They are meant to be appreciated for their utility as well as their unique beauty.

     The work is all high temperature stoneware and can be used in the oven, the dishwasher and the microwave.

     Michael Anderson's relief tile is seen in public locations around Alaska. Homer's Islands and Ocean Center, the Ferry Kennicott, and The Natural Sciences Building at UAF have his works, as do schools around Central and Southeast Alaska. Each of his relief tile works is a marine field trip, inviting the viewer to explore both visually and tactually a world, which is difficult or impossible to see otherwise.

      Note: Work is bas-relief tile and functional pottery created from cone 10 stoneware. Michael sculpts, inscribes, and/or slip paints to achieve visual aesthetic. The maritime environment where he lives provides much of the inspiration and the subjects seen in the patterns and compositions, which make Michael's work unique.