A new pottery-painting studio in Ridgefield is giving Clark County residents a place to sit down, pick up a brush, and turn a plain ceramic pot into whatever their imagination allows — including, in one customer's case, a freehand peregrine falcon. Clayvana, owned by Steven and Emily Busenbarrick, opened on Aug. 21, roughly a year after the couple first had the idea. Its customers range from kids who tap out after half an hour to others who settle in from open to close.
From Corporate Desks to Clay and Glaze
The idea for Clayvana didn't come out of nowhere. As reported by The Reflector, the Busenbarricks were inspired by a pottery-painting outing with friends 18 years ago in Florida, at a business called Picasso's. The couple kept returning to Picasso's about once a month with friends, and that recurring tradition eventually became the blueprint for their own shop. Before taking the leap, both had careers rooted firmly in the corporate world: Emily studied graphic design and digital photography and spent years practicing graphic design for several corporations, while Steven worked for Amazon for a number of years. Eventually, the pair left those jobs behind to start Clayvana together.
Inside the Ridgefield studio, the setup follows a simple rhythm. Customers choose a piece from a three-tiered pottery shelf running along an entire wall, grab their glaze colors, and sit down to paint at their own pace. Once finished, the pottery goes into the kiln, and about a week later, customers come back to pick up the finished work, according to the same account from the local paper. Emily told the outlet that customers often gravitate toward whichever piece first catches their eye, a simple approach that keeps the process approachable for newcomers.
A Shelf Full of Options, From Simple to Elaborate
Clayvana's selection runs the gamut from plain pots to far more ambitious forms, including a dragon guarding a tower, the station reports. The studio's ready-made pieces average $30, and according to Clayvana's website, prices are all-inclusive with no additional fees tacked on. That pricing model lines up with the low-pressure atmosphere the Busenbarricks say they were aiming for. The Reflector described the studio as a place for people to practice and refine their art skills in a low-judgment environment.
Painting sessions vary wildly in length. Little kids usually tap out about half an hour in, Emily told the paper, while some adult customers have shown up right when the studio opens and stayed until it closes at 7 p.m. That kind of staying power has already produced some standout work: during the studio's first week, one customer freehanded a peregrine falcon on the side of a small planter, a feat Steven described as evidence that customers have shown impressive creative ability.
Filling a Gap in Ridgefield's Entertainment Scene
The Busenbarricks say they built Clayvana with families in mind. Emily told the paper that the studio offers an artistic, fun and creative activity that families can do together without requiring any prior experience, while Steven framed the broader goal as bringing something artistic and creative to a city he says has few entertainment options beyond a movie theater, with many other options located in Battle Ground or Vancouver. The couple has an 11-year-old son, a detail that underscores the family-first framing behind the business.
Clayvana isn't the only paint-your-own pottery option in the region. Poterie Art Studio, located inside Urban Basics in Battle Ground, opened in February 2025 and offers hands-on classes covering clay shaping, glazing and firing, according to Poterie Art Studio. That studio also hosts private events like birthdays and bridal showers, with class fees covering instruction, studio time and kiln firing for up to two finished pieces per student. Farther afield, the original source of the Busenbarricks' inspiration, Picasso's Creative Workshop in Lake Worth, Florida, offers more than 600 unique pottery pieces and over 150 glaze colors, and is open seven days a week for walk-ins.
Back in Ridgefield, the studio's décor nods to its own mission statement: a neon sign on the wall reads “the magic is in you.” Whether that magic takes half an hour or a full day to come out, Clayvana's model gives customers the room to find out at their own pace, with the finished, kiln-fired piece ready for pickup about a week later.
