Welcome.
Thank you for being here. I'm so happy you came.
My name is Mandy Fleeger, the woman hand-crafting all goods for Cloud Fort.
I operate out of my home studio in Portland, Oregon. My shop's name was inspired by the cozy sanctuary my partner and I are building in the blissfully misty Pacific Northwest.
A life-long artist and maker, I grew up with a passion for learning to work in all mediums to express myself, but found the most comfort in translating my vision through clay. I am the most at ease and the best version of myself when I am working with my hands and covered in dirt.
When devoting so much time to working in mud and dust, I'm drawn towards the visual retreat of minimal forms and colorways. I enjoy the juxtaposition of my working state vs. the classic, clean lines and profiles of the finished product.
As an artisan, work reflects life. Aside from my core passion of creating with my hands, I am also a naturalist with a degree in Environmental Science. My childhood love of the outdoors matured into a deep respect of nature and a gravitational pull towards the beautifully simple satisfaction of cultivating my small sliver of land and growing and propagating plants. Whether it's in my vegetable plot at my local community garden, the biodiverse landscape I'm building around my home, or my ever-growing collection of houseplants, I am a grower down to my core.
I returned to pottery out of necessity to punctuate my love of plants with the perfect stage to display them. The minimalist designs I'm drawn to create are a study of the balance between humbly allowing a plant or floral arrangement be the focus, while maintaining the ability to stand out on its own as a specimen of refined craftswomanship and thoughtful design.
I enjoy working in small batches to allow myself the space to explore my interests in other personal and functional home goods beyond supporting a green thumb. It's important for me to keep my work fresh and interesting while occasionally leaning back on some comfortable favorites. Small-batch prevents production from feeling like a sterile process and hopefully it brings that joyful and curious energy of someone who truly loves what they do into your space.
Nature remains elemental in my process as I prepare my goods for their final destinations. Each item is carefully wrapped in recyclable newsprint and cushioned with biodegradable cornstarch peanuts inside a recyclable kraft cardboard box. The peanuts can be dissolved in water and safely poured down your drain, you can add them to your compost bin, or you can cut them up and incorporate them with potting soil where they will breakdown and dissolve as the plants are watered. My final step to sustainable packaging is the switch from traditional packing tape to a kraft paper version. Share my store with a little word of mouth and this goal can someday become a reality.
When I'm not in the studio, I occasionally take a brief sabbatical from pottery to be a capable woman with power tools restoring another section of our 113 year old home. Our house was built on the cusp of the transition between Art Nouveau and Art Deco, so instead of gutting and turning it into a modern stranger, we prefer to work with what's already here as much as possible to try and honor it's history.
My downtime is spent with my 15 year young scruffy terrier rescue, tending one of the gardens, reading a good book, exploring a new recipe in the kitchen, or taking advantage of whatever Pacific Northwestern magic the weather brings us by riding my bike to my favorite patios in town, hiking or snowboarding in the mountains, or exploring the coast.
I love connecting with my customers, so please feel free to reach out via my Contact page or direct message at my @cloud_fort Instagram page with any questions.
xoxo,
Mandy
My name is Mandy Fleeger, the woman hand-crafting all goods for Cloud Fort.
I operate out of my home studio in Portland, Oregon. My shop's name was inspired by the cozy sanctuary my partner and I are building in the blissfully misty Pacific Northwest.
A life-long artist and maker, I grew up with a passion for learning to work in all mediums to express myself, but found the most comfort in translating my vision through clay. I am the most at ease and the best version of myself when I am working with my hands and covered in dirt.
When devoting so much time to working in mud and dust, I'm drawn towards the visual retreat of minimal forms and colorways. I enjoy the juxtaposition of my working state vs. the classic, clean lines and profiles of the finished product.
As an artisan, work reflects life. Aside from my core passion of creating with my hands, I am also a naturalist with a degree in Environmental Science. My childhood love of the outdoors matured into a deep respect of nature and a gravitational pull towards the beautifully simple satisfaction of cultivating my small sliver of land and growing and propagating plants. Whether it's in my vegetable plot at my local community garden, the biodiverse landscape I'm building around my home, or my ever-growing collection of houseplants, I am a grower down to my core.
I returned to pottery out of necessity to punctuate my love of plants with the perfect stage to display them. The minimalist designs I'm drawn to create are a study of the balance between humbly allowing a plant or floral arrangement be the focus, while maintaining the ability to stand out on its own as a specimen of refined craftswomanship and thoughtful design.
I enjoy working in small batches to allow myself the space to explore my interests in other personal and functional home goods beyond supporting a green thumb. It's important for me to keep my work fresh and interesting while occasionally leaning back on some comfortable favorites. Small-batch prevents production from feeling like a sterile process and hopefully it brings that joyful and curious energy of someone who truly loves what they do into your space.
Nature remains elemental in my process as I prepare my goods for their final destinations. Each item is carefully wrapped in recyclable newsprint and cushioned with biodegradable cornstarch peanuts inside a recyclable kraft cardboard box. The peanuts can be dissolved in water and safely poured down your drain, you can add them to your compost bin, or you can cut them up and incorporate them with potting soil where they will breakdown and dissolve as the plants are watered. My final step to sustainable packaging is the switch from traditional packing tape to a kraft paper version. Share my store with a little word of mouth and this goal can someday become a reality.
When I'm not in the studio, I occasionally take a brief sabbatical from pottery to be a capable woman with power tools restoring another section of our 113 year old home. Our house was built on the cusp of the transition between Art Nouveau and Art Deco, so instead of gutting and turning it into a modern stranger, we prefer to work with what's already here as much as possible to try and honor it's history.
My downtime is spent with my 15 year young scruffy terrier rescue, tending one of the gardens, reading a good book, exploring a new recipe in the kitchen, or taking advantage of whatever Pacific Northwestern magic the weather brings us by riding my bike to my favorite patios in town, hiking or snowboarding in the mountains, or exploring the coast.
I love connecting with my customers, so please feel free to reach out via my Contact page or direct message at my @cloud_fort Instagram page with any questions.
xoxo,
Mandy