Dawn  - The Owner and Master Potter, (MFA in Ceramics)

Venessa - Manager and Master Glazer 

Mercedes  - Apprentice Potter

Cara - Studio assistant and Shipping specialist 

Kristen - Sales associate and plant expert 

 

The all female staff at Ye11ow Studio are deeply rooted in the Picton community, not only living locally but also actively contributing to its growth and well-being. The studio is committed to supporting living wages, ensuring that all staff are compensated fairly for their work, which reflects their dedication to social responsibility and the financial security of our team. Beyond their professional roles, the staff are engaged in the community, participating in local events, initiatives, and causes that help strengthen and uplift the area. This combination of local commitment, fair compensation, and active participation highlights Ye11ow Studio’s core values of sustainability and community connection.

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Currently The Ye11ow Studio employs 2 full time staff that work with Dawn in the making, glazing and firing, and 3 part time staff who assist us and work the shopfront. 

 

Owner and Master Potter is ​Dawn (Stafrace) Middleton (centre) , Dawn is trained in ceramics and pottery having diplomas and degrees from OCADU, Sheridan College and a MFA in Ceramics from Waterloo University. In 2017, she started the Ye11ow Studio in a little building beside her home in Picton Ontario. Through trial and error and some good luck Dawn quickly outgrew her little space and rented a larger location, where The Ye11ow Studio now lives on Main Street in Picton.

 

Managing the day-to-day and the master glazer is Vanessa Molyneux (bottom left), she was my very first employee 5 years ago and plans to stay with me forever. Vanessa is a mother of 2 and a lifelong resident of the area, with generations of family members that can trace back to the time of the Loyalists in Prince Edward County. If I am the soul of the business, she is the heart, she remembers every customer we have ever made an order for. Her kindness and attention to detail are the perfect mix for our group. 

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Mercedes (Merc) Szabo, is our apprentice potter. Mercedes started with us as a high school co-op student in 2020 and worked with us as a studio assistant for a few years until she went to school at Fleming College in their ceramics program. Merc then worked on her own pots and traveled for a few years. And now.. she’s back as an apprentice potter. Merc has made great strides in her skills and we are looking forward to helping her develop her skills as part of the Ye11ow team.

 

Cara Jarvis (back left) , is our pottery assistant and shipping wizard. She has been working in the studio with us for several years now. Her sunny disposition brings a smile to all who meet her. Cara has a wicked sense of humor and keeps everyday exciting.

 

Kristen Myers (bottom right) has been working part time at the shop since it opened in 2020. Kristen is our inhouse plant wizard and retail weekend warrior. 

 

And for your last burning question…

Why call it The Ye11ow? 

Well it's quite simple really… Dawn loves yellow, it's the colour of the sun and summer and everything is bright and wonderful. 

Why the 11’s?

It's Dawn’s favorite number! Put them together and The Ye11ow Studio was born.