About the Artist

Jim’s a devoted family man—with wife and kids and a busy schedule. In addition to his wife and family, Jim’s life is made even more colorful by his activity in the community, his church, and other interests.

Jim Ostler’s career in pottery began as a young high school student enrolled in his first pottery class. It was then that his natural talent for pottery was quickly “unearthed” by an observant teacher, Mark Montague. This teacher became an important mentor to Jim, and Jim was soon hired to teach pottery classes at the local high school at night. Later that year, Jim was awarded the coveted high school “Springville Art Festival Award” in Utah as a first year entrant while a senior in high school. Upon graduation, Jim was honored to receive two full-ride scholarship offers in Fine Arts to both Brigham Young University and the University of Utah.

Throughout his 30+ years of studio work, Jim has been strongly influenced by several local mentors who have helped him refine his designs and techniques. Jim now desires to share his artwork and knowledge with all who share his love for pottery! With the encouragement of his wife Jana, Jim has fulfilled his lifelong dream to launch his own line of stoneware pottery—Ostler ArtWare. Jim’s vision is to merge beautiful art with intrinsic functionality. He desires to make art pieces that are accessible to every home and that can be handed down for generations.

Jim Ostler at work...

Jim’s primary passion is the art of his craft: “throwing the clay”. Visitors to the factory will find him trying new techniques—creating new and beautiful shapes, experimenting with new glazes and firing techniques, and signing each hand-crafted piece of ArtWare.