Pick up a ceramic mug or growler in the small towns dotting the Flathead Valley and there’s a good chance it’s been crafted by Tim Carlburg. Tim is a Montana transplant who has made a home for himself — and his work — in this corner of northwest Montana. His work as a potter has allowed him to create pieces in and for the community that helped him foster his passion.
Educated as a K-12 art teacher, Tim took a ceramics class during a stint in the Army to keep his teaching license current. He loved the class but didn’t pursue a practice. Following his military service, he found his way to Montana and to the small town of Columbia Falls. He soon happened upon a local potter, and they connected over being from Wisconsin and being high school art teachers. Tim asked if he could trade labor for time in the potter’s studio. He got a pivotal call a couple weeks later.
[The potter] called and said ‘my glaze person is leaving, we’d love to have him train you up if you want the job,’ so I worked for him for about a year doing nothing but glazing pottery." -Tim
After that year, he transitioned to his own outfit, first creating out of his own studio, and eventually reconfiguring his garage to accommodate pottery equipment after his children were born.
After working for himself for some time, another consequential local connection — with the owner of Flathead Lake Brewing Company — led to the creation of the signature ceramic growler that put him on the map.
“I just continued to see people come in off their boats and things, filling up their growlers one Sunday afternoon, and I thought to myself, ‘I’m a potter, I should probably have the coolest growler in town, right?’” -Tim
His growlers grew in popularity after the brewery stocked its shelves with them, and word of his creations began to spread far beyond the valley. Tim’s uniquely crafted growlers were eventually featured in Men’s Journal and on a widely read blog, and the orders began to roll in. After a Hollywood celebrity posted about the growlers online, business exploded.
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“Literally overnight I had 800 inquiries in my inbox.” -Tim
Tim set about tackling the orders and hired employees to help. But eventually, he found himself drowning in administrative work rather than elbows deep in clay, and chose to pare down the growler operation. He’s worked in the wholesale world for the last four years, and now he’s making and selling pottery for local businesses around the valley, sharing unique, Made in Montana wares with locals and visitors alike. From coffee shops to olive oil sellers, and even some distilleries and breweries, he’s able to put his personal touch on the work that leaves his studio and curate pottery that has a distinct Montana flair.
With some more time on his hands these days, he enjoys getting out into what makes Montana, Montana — the wilderness. He loves spending his time out of the studio hunting and fishing throughout the Flathead Valley. Tim still gets creative when he can, and sells his one-of-a-kind pieces on his website as he makes them. In the meantime, he takes pride in getting to give back to the members of the community that have embraced him and his work with open arms.
Tim Carlburg is a Made in Montana maker who lives, plays, creates and runs his business, Carlburg Pottery, in Columbia Falls, Montana. See Tim’s talent in action and shop unique ceramic creations at his website, handmadegrowlers.com.
