Ceramicist Teresa Bergen loves watching the “surprise and the delight” on faces when people see her work for the first time. Creatures such as roller-skating bears, astronaut bunnies, and costumed woodland animals adorn pieces like teapots, bowls, and mugs, plus the occasional human-sized sculpture. She portrays herself and her young family in her work too, deftly capturing the messy beauty of domesticity.  

“It’s the relationships in my life that matter,” says Bergen. “What makes me laugh or what makes me cry.” In “Running in Circles,” her ceramic stand-in spins with a wailing baby in her arms, surrounded by naughty toddlers. She feels it important to depict relatable stories during a time people are divided and scared.

“People forget that we’re all just people, and we are all going through similar things,” she says.

Bergen lives in a home she calls “a gift” outside Chester, N.S. Forest surrounds it, and it has an amazing view of the ocean; it’s the kind of place she once dreamed of for raising a family. Vegetables grow outside her door and big plans are underway for a flower garden. Her home is painted brightly and filled with things she loves.

She recently built a little shop in the art studio across the yard, which is open to the public “by chance or appointment.” Visitors are discovering this hidden treasure. “I usually have a personal visit with everybody who comes in,” she says.

Bergen has been married to Juno-winning banjoist and folk singer Chris Luedecke (also known as Old Man Luedecke) for 24 years. It was Bergen who convinced him to move to the East Coast so she could pursue her studies at the NSCAD University.

Their respective arts are a big part of their relationship. He writes songs about her and she makes ceramics about him — pieces like “Old Man in the Olive Barrel,” which is one of Bergen’s mechanical marvels. With the turn of a crank, the ceramic Luedecke comes alive, strumming his banjo and stomping his feet.

“It’s nice because what we do is so different,” she says. “There’s no competition there.”

Bergen and Luedecke have three children: 11-year-old twins, Cordelia and Wilhelmina, and nine-year-old Annabelle. So far, the girls’ artistic interests take after their mother. They build sculptures in Bergen’s studio while she does her pottery.

“They’ve done some beautiful work,” says Bergen. The feeling is reciprocal. Her daughters love Bergen’s art and often get upset when she sells pieces. Many of Bergen’s ceramics depict them. “This is me!” they proudly tell people.

Becoming a stay-at-home mother meant less time for her art. “It really just sort of went by the wayside for quite a while,” she says. She seems to be making up for lost time now and is working with what she says is “a better base,” as parenthood has given her greater focus and new ideas.

She is currently working on a large-scale sculpture with moving parts for an upcoming major arts festival in 2024. The intriguing title of the piece? “How I met your father and other myths.”

Her work is a showstopper at Studio 21 Fine Art, a Halifax gallery that’s represented her for many years. She is also collaborating with well-known East Coast singer-songwriter Kim Barlow. They wrote a story about a depressed goblin girl who is befriended by a fox. It was set to music and Bergen created marionettes to act as puppeteer. While the introverted Bergen finds watching performances “really moving,” she says the idea of performing herself was her “worst nightmare.” Yet, she had to admit afterwards: “I did have a very fun time.”

At 49, Bergen says she is happier and more comfortable with herself than when she was a younger artist. She doesn’t feel compelled to master “artspeak” or explain the motivation behind her work as she once did.

“If it feels important to make it, it’s just fine to do it,” she says. “There’s a nice freedom to that.”