The physical place is his home studio in Rogers City, tucked away down a long tree-lined driveway attached to the garage in front of his lakeside home.

Hoffman started Slug Bug Pottery about three years ago, and his pieces are featured in several area art galleries and shops, including Thunder Bay Arts Gallery in Alpena, Harborside Bath and Body, and My Northern Espresso, both in Rogers City. He also sells on Etsy.

The artist has also been highlighted in three Lark books: “500 Tiles — An Inspiring Collection of International Work,” “500 Prints on Clay,” and “The Best of 500 Ceramics — Celebrating a Decade in Clay.”

Hoffman’s art marries the ancient craft of pottery with pop culture, as many of his pieces feature layers of decals to create an original collage on a handy, practical mug.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Supernova, a character Hoffman created with graphic design software and AI, makes many appearances in Hoffman’s work.

He also makes life tiles, as he calls them, which depict often ironic or juxtaposed ideas morphed into a whimsical collage on a textured ceramic tile.

His art is interesting, and he’s having a blast making it.

“I just get things in my head,” he said of the inspiration for many of his unique pieces.

Hoffman grew up in Rogers City, first grade through high school. He then attended Alpena Community College, and continued his education at Central Michigan University, obtaining a bachelor’s degree in photography there. He got a teaching certificate from Wayne State University and then taught at Northville High School for 20 years.

“While I was at Northville, I earned my master’s degree in art, from Wayne State,” Hoffman said.

Courtesy Photo Hoffman created this vase as a wedding gift for a friend. The vase, designed from breakwall, sits on a breakwall.

He taught graphic design, ceramics, metalsmithing, photography, and other art classes at Northville High School.

“I taught everything,” he recalled. “I had four classrooms, and there were six art teachers at the high school, with over 2,000 kids.”

He is basically self-taught in ceramics. He has an art background, but he spent many hours watching videos learning how to work with ceramics.

He is married with three children, with one middle schooler still living at home. Now that he moved back to his hometown, he said he has two jobs.

“I call myself the family manager,” he said with a laugh. “And then, in the meantime, I do pottery.”

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Michael Hoffman owns and operates Slug Bug Pottery in Rogers City.

He works when he wants because “It’s fun,” he said. “Art should be fun.”

Some, if not all, of his mugs have a story to tell. Let’s talk about Elmer the Elk, who appeared in their driveway off and on for several months, and became frozen in time on one of Hoffman’s mugs.

“I named him Elmer,” Hoffman said, as he held up the mug he made to pay homage to the majestic beast.

Other pieces honor the past, such as a nod to the old boxing club that used to be in Rogers City.

Because each piece is unique, everyone can find their flavor with Slug Bug Pottery.

Courtesy Photo Elmer the Elk disappeared from Hoffman’s neighborhood, but he lives on in this handcrafted mug Hoffman made in honor of the stately creature.

Creating the pieces involves first using clay to form the desired shape on the pottery wheel, then firing once in the kiln at 1,818 degrees Fahrenheit. After the piece cools, it is then coated in glaze and fired again at 2,200 degrees. Once it has cooled, Hoffman adorns it with the desired decals and fires it one more time at 1,400 degrees to complete the process. Each firing takes about 24 hours.

“I like to make them look, kind of, screenprinted on,” he said of the decals, for which he uses a special printer and ink.

In the past three years, Hoffman estimates that he has made about 500 pieces, but he doesn’t keep specific count. He’s just having fun doing what he loves.

“It’s kind of like every art teacher’s dream,” he said.

He creates new characters that reappear in his work, including Supernova, the space cat, and FrankenMike, a dude that represents a middle-aged rocker trying to avoid becoming obsolete. Hoffman also plays guitar.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Michael Hoffman designs his life tiles, first on the computer, then brings them to life, piecing the collage together on a ceramic tile.

“Everything I’ve done is all connected,” he said.

Some of his mugs have “belly buttons” meant to be used as fingerholds instead of a handle.

Hoffman enjoys using his creativity to make unique pieces that bring smiles to people’s faces. Many of his pieces have a retro feel, featuring references to the 1980s and 1990s, including cassette tapes, video game consoles, and VHS tapes.

Some pieces also feature goats.

“People go crazy for goats,” he said. “I don’t know why.”

He does custom work on request. To see more of his work, check him out on Instagram @slug_bug_pottery.

Reach Darby Hinkley at dhinkley@thealpenanews.com, or by calling 989-358-5691.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Some of Michael Hoffman’s first pieces, including one paying tribute to the Atari joystick.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Michael Hoffman dips a cup into the glaze he uses to coat his pottery before firing it in the kiln for a second time.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley “Go Car Ride?!” Michael Hoffman’s unique mugs feature whimsical humor, like this one featuring his lab “Chewy” begging to get into the Volkswagen Bug, or Slug Bug, in the background. Other unique handcrafted mugs align the shelf.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley Michael Hoffman holds a ceramic mug he made while standing next to the kiln he uses to fire each piece three times at three different high temperatures.

News Photo by Darby Hinkley More handcrafted mugs by Hoffman.

Courtesy Photo This mug by Michael Hoffman pays tribute to Northern Michigan and road trips “Up North.”