A 1975 Chapel Hill High School graduate, she was headed for a career in science, studying biology and environmental sciences at Earlham College in Indiana.

But one semester she signed up for a pottery class. Something about working with clay resonated, and before long the science moved to the back seat; on geology field trips, she started spending more time hunting for good clay than identifying rocks.

It worked out for the best. Filley went on to become a nationally renowned artist and teacher, known for her exquisite porcelain pottery. Past president of the National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts, she's built a career that has taken her to Louisiana, Virginia, Las Vegas and most recently Charleston, S.C, before landing her back on our doorstep.

Filley and her husband moved back to Chapel Hill two years ago, and last November she completed her studio on Creekstone Drive. This weekend she'll open the doors to the public for an open studio Saturday and Sunday.

"It's a beautiful studio, the first place I've ever had that was really a wonderful work space," Filley said. "We have three kilns, and I'll have a lot of new work out. The great thing about visiting a studio is that you can see work in progress. People are always curious about the kilns, and I especially love having students come out so they can see a working studio in action, as opposed to a teaching studio."

Cathy Kiffney, a friend and fellow ceramic artist, will hold an open studio at the same time at her place a few miles away.

Kiffney specializes in brilliantly colored glazed works using stylized images from mythology and the natural world. She carves and creates textures in the clay before painting, firing and glazing her tiles, wall pieces, platters and other pieces.

Filley's work is quite different. She fashions distinctive, graceful works in porcelain.

"Porcelain is a pure white clay," she said. "I'm attracted to it because it has excellent color response, and it's very strong. Working with it, you just get a sense of working with really high quality clay."

She works in series, creating a dozen cups or several pots with similar designs at a time. As she proceeds, making design and color choices, some will stand out.

"One or two will speak to me as the most exciting," she said. "I love beautiful, elegant design, and every design and decision leads you to another."

Filley and Kiffney will open their studios Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Filley's studio is at 707 Creekstone Drive. For information and directions, see www.susanfilley.com. Kiffney's studio is at 3707 Hawk Ridge Road. For information and directions, see www.cathykiffney.com.