The Artists Behind the Studio
Two disciplines. One creative life. Everything made with intention.
Ceramic Artist · Art Educator · Aspen Pot Technique · Grand Junction, CO
Lori A. T. Raper
Lori Raper has spent a lifetime learning to listen — to clay, to nature, and to the quiet wisdom that comes from working with your hands.
A ceramic artist and art educator based in Grand Junction, Colorado, Lori's work is deeply rooted in the landscape around her. Her signature Aspen Pot technique was born from years of observing the remarkable trees of the Colorado high country — their papery white bark, their trembling leaves, and the way they grow in interconnected groves, each tree a separate trunk sharing the same root system underground.
"True growth happens from the inside out,"
Lori says — and it shows in every piece she throws. Her work is handformed, hand-textured, and fired with care. No two pieces are identical, because no two moments at the wheel are ever exactly the same.
As an art educator, Lori has guided students of all ages toward creative confidence and self-expression — the same values that shape her studio practice. Her pottery carries that same spirit: made not just to be beautiful, but to be held, used, and lived with.
Troy Raper - Bassist, Conductor & Music Educator
Troy Raper believes music belongs to everyone — and he's spent his career proving it.
A bassist, conductor, and music educator on Colorado's Western Slope, Troy serves as Principal Bassist for the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra and performs regularly with jazz ensembles, recording studios, and as a concert soloist. He has performed with orchestras across Colorado including Greeley, Fort Collins, Cheyenne, Durango, and the Crested Butte Music Festival.
As an educator, Troy has built something rare: a genuine community around music. His former students, colleagues, and fellow musicians speak to his belief that music is a shared experience — something that connects people across age, background, and ability.
At MusicalMud Studios, Troy brings that same sense of rhythm and presence. He's the pulse behind the studio — the reason the work feels like it has timing, intention, and soul.
"Troy Raper is a musician of the community. Few musicians on the Western Slope have done as much as Troy to bring people and music together."
— J. Cameron Law, Past President, Colorado American String Teachers Association
Principal Bassist, Grand Junction Symphony · Conductor, Valley Symphony Association Orchestra · Music Educator · Western Slope, CO
Why music and clay?
At first glance, conducting an orchestra and a pottery wheel don't have much in common. Look closer and you'll find they're the same thing.
Both are physical. Both require patience. Both live in the hands — in the pressure, the release, the feel of something responding to your touch. A musician learns that silence is as important as sound. A potter learns that empty space is as important as form.
MusicalMud Studios was built on that understanding. Lori and Troy don't just share a life — they share a creative philosophy. That everything worth making takes time. That craft and art aren't different things. That the best work comes from listening.
That's what you hold when you hold one of Lori's pieces. Not just clay. A whole way of being in the world.
Working with galleries & collectors
MusicalMud Studios works with gallery owners, curators, and serious collectors who are looking for handmade work with a genuine story behind it.
Lori's Aspen Pot pieces are available for gallery consignment, custom commissions, and wholesale inquiry. Each piece is one of a kind, documented, and made to museum-quality standards in her Grand Junction studio.
If you're a gallery owner or curator interested in carrying MusicalMud work, we'd love to start a conversation.