Mudslingers of Ahwahnee is a cozy pottery studio nestled in the beautiful foothills of Ahwahnee, California, and lovingly owned by Deanna Agnone—also known around here as "Muddy Momma".

Deanna moved to Ahwahnee from Southern California in 2013. Before that, she and her late husband Ralph (who passed in 2003) raised their two wonderful children while she was a dedicated stay-at-home mom. Her days were filled with PTA committees, school murals, classroom volunteering, and even summer teaching in a beloved enrichment program at the local elementary school. Her classes—Clay Creations, Kiddie Karpenters, Cool Cakes, and Cupcake Characters—were always a hit with the kids. Deanna’s love for pottery started early in life, thanks to her Uncle Joe Middione, a successful sculptor who introduced her to the world of clay. Under his guidance, she created her very first sculpture—a clay Buddha that she still proudly owns today. That formative experience sparked something lasting, and her interest continued to grow through summer school and high school art classes. Later, as a young mom, Deanna continued nurturing her passion by taking pottery classes at Glendale Community College. She also joined several community center programs, where she was exposed to a variety of pottery-making methods that expanded her skills and creativity. Just last year, she was thrilled to study wheel throwing under the guidance of renowned potter Hsin-Chuen Lin, whose talent and teaching style left a lasting impression.

Back in 1997 and 1998, Deanna also put her creativity and welding skills to work volunteering for the La Cañada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Association. She helped build massive float decorations, including six-foot-tall musical monkeys and giant fuchsias and irises for the float "Love in Bloom." The following year, she crafted a fun “tag-ahead” float featuring a frog and a four-armed caterpillar lounging on the back of the frog for "High Flying Fun."

In 1998, she became a cake decorator at Ralph’s grocery store. After her husbands passing  and during the grocery store strike of 2003–2004, she found a new path working at Trader Joe’s for the next ten years.  Eventually she moved to Ahwahnee, where she returned to cake decorating at Vons until retiring in 2019. That was when pottery—always a favorite hobby—took center stage. What began as a creative outlet blossomed into a full-blown passion project. Her shelves became filled with finished pieces, and soon she began selling her pieces at the local craft fairs,and before she knew it folks visiting and shopping the fair began to ask if she taught classes. From there, the idea grew naturally into what it is today. At Mudslingers of Ahwahnee, Deanna offers personalized pottery lessons for all ages and skill levels. Her teaching style reflects her own learning experiences—she believes in one-on-one attention, patience, and giving each student the space to explore and grow creatively. Surrounded by a peaceful countryside and a laid-back, country-hippy vibe, the studio is stocked with over four decades of lovingly collected pottery and woodworking tools—treasures that now help students bring their own ideas to life. Sometimes we don’t know exactly what we’re making when we begin... but together, we always figure it out.