Born in Boston, Van Vactor grew up in a family of artists and writers. After broad training in art at the Paris American Academy in France at 17, she received her BFA  with a concentration in ceramics and minor in printmaking at Kansas State University under Professors Yoshiro Ikeda and James Munce. Graduating at the top of her class and having participated in many exhibitions she then went on to work as a freelance artist in Los Angeles, where she completed several tile installations, decorative murals and exhibited her ceramic work. Leaving California in 1996 she moved to Florence, Italy where she attended the Scuola di Ceramica, Montelupo Fiorentino. While in Italy she continued her art training in diverse disciplines such as fresco painting, mask making and traditional majolica pottery. Van Vactor continued to work and exhibit her ceramic art in Italy for the next six years. Having returned to Boston, she now works as an art teacher, trying to find a balance between teaching and creating her own work. In the studio, Van Vactor has focused her attention on creating a unique body of work in both printmaking and clay. Recent travels to Japan have ignited a rediscovery of her passion for printmaking. The images for these, like her pottery, are inspired by a great love of nature and dedicated to exploring a plethora of natural textures, shapes and forms. 

My work, inspired by nature, is a culmination of influences from my indigenous heritage on my mother’s side, my Japanese ceramic professor, Yoshiro Ikeda, my fabulous printing teacher, James Munce, my artistic father, and the many years I lived in Italy and traveled in Japan. I have always been drawn to texture and pattern. My forms are often inspired by things found on a walk through the woods or along the beach. I use a variety of mid-range stoneware clays, chosen for their color which is often left only partially glazed to highlight the natural feel of the clay. Each piece is hand built, pinch pot method for the small forms and coil built for the larger. After the basic shape is created, the true magic and fun begins, carving, texturing and sculpting. Each piece is completely unique and one of a kind. For the smaller gourd-like and seed inspired forms I insert clay beads to emulate the sounds and feeling of holding an actual pod rattling with life. This engages our senses of sound and touch to the visual in a truly exciting manner. I feel this tactile experience awakens the senses to possibilities. Like seeds themselves, these small vessels hold the idea and promise of growth and fertility.

Similarly, my prints are often inspired by nature and filled with textural detail. I also use my prints to bring awareness around Indigenous women, children and historical events. I use both block print and silk screen techniques.