Mike Walsh has worked as a studio potter in Santa Fe, New Mexico since 1978. He specializes in functional, wheel-thrown stoneware, including lamps, dinnerware, tea pots, cremation urns and accessories. Mike Walsh is one of the five ceramic artists featured at Santa Fe's Paseo Pottery.

Born in Bennington, Vermont, Walsh earned a degree in art education from Mansfield State College in Pennsylvania. His studies there included photography, graphics, ceramics, painting, jewelry, sculpture, crafts and textiles. The careful sense of design he brings to his pottery today reflects his varied background in the arts and the many mediums he has studied. Walsh’s work is characterized by the strength and warmth both of form and surface detail.

His thoughtful simplicity of line makes his pottery equally at home in rustic and contemporary settings. The rich colors and textures of his “Iron and Ash” series are achieved by fusing ashes and iron-rich red clay. The dramatic result is reminiscent of deeply shaded forests. Michael Walsh spends the majority of his time producing his wares, but sets some time aside to share his knowledge of his craft by teaching at Santa Fe Clay.