نویسنده: AliBina

A Renaissance Potter | Matt Wassenaar

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Matt Wassenaar | Episode 1115

Matt Wassenaar makes pottery all year long and sells it for 7 weekends at his booth in the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. After meeting Warren MacKenzie decades ago Matt took to heart his philosophy – make pottery for function and affordability. In 2001 Matt and his wife bought a booth at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival and started selling their work. Selling at the festival has turned into sales of 2,100 pots in 7 weekends.

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What kind of people are coming to a Renaissance fair? Are they dressing up or is it just regular folk attending?

I think they are people who are looking for magic in their lives. They need magic in their lives. They need something special and we try to be different. We try to be kind and generous and hopefully they find something in our shop that they like.

I know your work is not era specific but is there a bit of mystical type of approach to your work?

That’s a good question. I try to surprise myself. It’s hard to do after forty years of pottery. I succeed occasionally. Then I get really excited.

What is the pace like at the booth? Are there lots of people coming through the fair?

Yes, there are. We are towards the back which means the gate opens and we have a half an hour before we get a really big rush. The five weekends Labor Day and after it’s frantic, I guess is the best way to describe it.

Do you ever do demonstrations? Is there someone sitting at a potter’s wheel making?

Not at our booth. There is elsewhere in the festival. The size of the booth that I got really doesn’t accommodate that. It’s one of those things when I retire from the post office that I would like to dabble in. It would come down to if we could buy a neighboring space.

How many pots do you have to have ready to go on opening weekend?

Well we sell about twenty-one hundred pieces of pottery during the seven weeks. I try to have at least two thirds of that made in advance. So about fourteen to fifteen hundred pieces of pottery of various stripes and various sizes.

Book

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

By My Hands by Florian Gadsby

Contact

Instagram: @blackdogpottermn

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14/04/2025
Art With Mr. E: Not Just The Kids…

This made my heart so happy!! A few weeks ago I taught a lesson on the artist Romero Britto. A para-pro (someone who works with children that need extra assistance) loved the work I shared from Britto, and ordered a new phone case for herself. She had to share it with me!!

We are influencing more than the kids!

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14/04/2025
Best Friends Bought A Potters Wheel | Danielle Lane & Lara Irwin

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Danielle Lane & Lara Irwin | Episode 1116

Danielle Lane & Lara Irwin’s Instagram profile says, Two besties throwing like girls. And that explains their relationship perfectly- Danielle and Lara are best friends who make pottery together in Victoria, BC Canada. It all started when Danielle and Lara decided to buy a potters wheel together. Now they are making ceramics together and they wouldn’t have it any other way.

SPONSORS

You can help support the show!

Number 1 brand in America for a reason. Skutt.com

For all your ceramic needs go to Georgies.com

Do either of you go to the studio to make by yourselves or is it always together?

Lara: It’s our favorite to be together, I think, for both of us, but sometimes it’s necessary when you are trying to fill an order to geo and get the pots done.

Do you make a certain amount of inventory to bring to each show?

Danielle: Absolutely. We definitely have to set aside time in our work schedules to do that. That usually looks like a couple of days a week. Making goals, we need ten bowls for this and ten for this.

Danielle what’s the favorite piece that Lara makes that you love?

Danielle: That is a hard question. I love everything Lara makes. I am really so impressed with Lara’s skill of throwing on the wheel. I would almost describe her style as soft, the pieces have this soft look to them and I can just never quite reach that so I would say every piece she throws. I am just always blown away.

Lara, what’s the favorite piece that Danielle makes that you love?

Lara: Yeah, that is such a hard question. I think she knows what I am going to say. She is really excellent at sgraffito work and her glazing. It is so stunning and beautiful and she has this incredible patience for it as well. She spends so long making these gorgeous landscapes of sgraffito work. They are usually the first thing I show other people. It is just so stunning.

What is the piece that you wish you could make but your skills are not quite there?

Lara: We haven’t tried the tea pot yet. So I think one day we are going to take that on. I would really love to make a lamp. I see that a lot on Instagram, people making lamps.

Danielle: Lately I’ve been really into large vases. I think we are really starting to hone in to throwing with bigger amounts of clay. I don’t know, maybe we will need a bigger kiln because our stuff is getting bigger and bigger.

Book

Danielle

Stone Blind by Natalie Haynes

Contact

Instagram: @honeyandlolapottery

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13/04/2025
Art With Mr. E: Sunday Devotional With Mr. E: The Narrative

Narrative art tells a story. I love challenging students to create interesting original narratives. They have to truly think through what their story is, and how to best share it with the viewer. A narrative is at its best when it considers the setting (environment), characters (people that it involves), and plot (what’s happening). I ask students to periodically stop and share their work with their neighbor. If their neighbor is unable to convey what is going on in the story, then the artist knows they must reconsider/rethink what they are doing so that they can have their work tell the story more effectively.

But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behavior in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. 1 Peter 3: 15-16

Have you ever been asked to share your “testimony”(your faith story)? For some, the idea of doing such a thing is extremely scary. Others might think they could do it with ease, but quickly realize when doing so that they lack direction/focus, and are unable to effectively share their journey of faith. No matter where you find yourself on this spectrum, being able to share your story is an important “tool” that the Lord wants to use in your life & the life of others. Like the narrative art work I have my students create, you must think through your story and consider how best to share it with others. You don’t want it to sound scripted/canned…but we must be ready in & out of season to give account for our hope! Writing it down, sharing it with a friend, and thinking upon what you are sharing will allow you to refine it & effectively convey your story I also feel it will allow you to reflect on God’s love & faithfulness in your life. That is a WIN-WIN situation.

The Easter Story is on our hearts & minds right now….
but I want to know how the

Easter Story has impacted your story!

Dear Lord…you have blessed me with a story to share. Thank you for the testimony you have given me. I know it your story of grace, love, and hope. Something our world needs to hear. Allow me to effectively & fearlessly share the reason for my hope. Help me to glory you through the story of my life. And may I see that it is not finished, but still unfolding as I go & grow in you.

Amen

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13/04/2025
Art With Mr. E: Dandelion Dup

Colors of Kindness has two dups for Dandelion.

The center is the original Dandelion. Top is regular Yellow from a “normal” box of 24. To the right is Banana Mania. At the bottom is Hello Sunshine. Though I would love Dandelion to return, the two from Colors of Kindness are pretty good.

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13/04/2025
And A Second Book! | Kara Leigh Ford

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Kara Leigh Ford | Episode 1117

Kara Leigh Ford is an English potter and author. In Kara’s first visit with The Potters Cast we enjoyed learning about her journey into ceramics. Then she wrote a book, Pottery for Beginners and Kara came back for a second time to talk about her book. Today on Kara’s third visit with The Potters Cast we talk about her second book, The Essential Pottery Notebook.

SPONSORS

You can help support the show!

Number 1 brand in America for a reason. Skutt.com

For all your ceramic needs go to Georgies.com

How safe is it for a hobbyist to make their own glazes in their own studio?

I totally get how intimidating making your own glazes might feel, but if you can follow a recipe for making a cake, you can make your own glazes. And as long as you follow the general safety guidelines with pottery which is anything that creates dust or you are working with powder, you need a respirator. You need a proper respirator with the attachments. Use one of those and you are going to be fine.

Why is it important to have a record of your firings?

Well, again, it is remembering everything, isn’t it? Certainly my firing schedules tend to be quite simple, however, I do use multiple different clays in my studio and various different glazes that all enjoy a different kiln firing schedule. And if there are a few weeks, months, or maybe even years between me making something and repeating that thing I am not really going to remember what I actually put into my kiln.

How does one go about properly reading cones?

So what you are looking for is an elegant arch. You want your target cone, which is your middle cone. You use three cones generally in a cone pack. So for instance if you want a cone six firing you would use cone five, which is your guide cone. You use cone six, which is your target cone. And you use cone seven, which is your guard cone. In my book there are pictures that clearly shows you what you are actually looking for.

You have a chapter in your book called, Pottery: Efficiencies and the Environment. What are you thinking about with that chapter?

Well, so getting your kiln and firings and processes more efficient really has a knock on affect on how efficient your entire studio is. Everything you do as a maker has an impact on the environment. SO we all know we are emitting carbon all the time and the pottery industry isn’t exempt from that. There’s a carbon footprint that we should all be aware of and if your processes and firings are successful there is less waste.

Are you stoked to have written a second book and who specifically is your book targeting? Who is your perfect audience?

Yes, I am absolutely thrilled to have written a second book. I didn’t even think I had one book in me let alone two. So this feels pretty special.

And who is this book for? Well, I would say people who are pretty much hooked on pottery. So it might be that you don’t necessarily have your own studio, you might still be firing at a community studio, this book is still going to help you. So I think any potter that loves pottery, wants to make their work better, more efficient, less waste, more successful, this boo

Book

A Potter’s Workbook by Clary Illian

The Complete Guide to Mid-Range Glazes by John Britt

Pottery for Beginners by Kara Leigh Ford

The Essential Pottery Notebook by Kara Leigh Ford

Contact

karaleighfordceramics.com

Instagram: @karaleighceramics

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13/04/2025
Art With Mr. E: What are you creating?

The kids seem to LOVE dino nuggies! Don’t know what they are? They make chicken nuggets in the shape of dinosaurs. Yes…it’s a thing!! ha ha There are shirts, earrings, pushies, pillows…a whole dino nuggie industry! I’ve wanted to make my own pushies/pillows, but it took awhile to find a fabric I thought would work(Dollar Tree…imagine that!?!). I made a pattern to the size of the fabric, cut them out, sewed them together, and stuffed them. It went relatively quick, and I had a lot of fun doing it! A friend saw my post on facebook, and asked if I could make her class (she teaches EE/Special Ed) one. They like to hold something during share time. I gladly gave her one of the dino nuggies! Happy to know it will be loved & used in a school setting!

What are you creating?

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13/04/2025
Next Level | Michael Cole

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Michael Cole | Episode 1118

Michael Cole, largely self-taught, has refined advanced techniques through workshops with esteemed artists like Noel Bailey, Steven Hill, Jon Townley, Deb Lecce, Sarah Wells Rolland, Simon Leach, and Jenifer McCurdy. Michael was a member of the 2024 Steven Hill Journey Workshop at Alison Palmer Studio. Michael makes his living as personal assistant to Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz.

SPONSORS

You can help support the show!

Number 1 brand in America for a reason. Skutt.com

For all your ceramic needs go to Georgies.com

How important is it for us to just be honest with where we are with our work?

I think it’s very important. Extremely important. And I do feel like there is validity in the beginning of our pottery journey to try all the things. There are so many different avenues that you can go down. We learn a lot by doing all that, but for me working in this new way it makes the making far more meaningful and enjoyable.

Then how important is the influence of a mentor assessing your work?

For me personally I found it very moving and a sort of personal answer is that I didn’t really have that kind of support when I was younger. With my father specifically. And in Stephen Hill I found a father figure who was encouraging me in ways that I had never really experienced before as an artist, in the artistic side of my life. For me it was exceedingly important.

Was it a scary thing to admit and to reach out and get help to grow?

It wasn’t scary for me because I have never been scared of that kind of thing. I love trying to make myself better. I’ve spent all of my life making. When I was a struggling actor in New York City I made my living doing finish carpentry. So I learned tiling and sheet rock and all that. So I have used my hands my entire life. So I am not afraid of doing anything. Except if I am working with really expensive materials and as we know clay is not expensive.

How important is mindset and persistence to level up?

I think it’s important and I think I struggle with it a little bit because I have a full-time job. And I find myself away from my studio for chunks of time. I find I do my best work when I am really connected with it for long periods of time. Therefore, I can concentrate on it more.

What is your reaction to this? Be responsible for your own journey.

I knew you were going to throw me one of these questions. (laughter) I think it’s good. Throughout my days, trying to follow the passions that I had in some ways I felt like I was…earlier in my life I felt like I was following a journey that my brother was on. He was a farmer and at some point, I decided to join the choir. And that break made huge difference for me. So I started to take some control over my own journey then and I guess, to a certain extent, I did that for a large portion of my life. In terms of my journey now I think it is very important to take control of that and decide where I want to go with this.

What is your favorite piece to make in the studio and why?

My favorite piece is probably a mug, which is kind of remarkable to say because I used to hate making handles. Hated it. But I knew it was something I should do. So that ends up being a really nice form for me to work on and also turns out to be a really good test tile.

Book

Every Tool Is A Hammer by Adam Savage

Contact

mastercraftceramics.com

Instagram: @mastercraft_ceramics

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13/04/2025
9th ANNUAL ART WITH MR. E SUMMER WORKSHOP

WOULD LOVE FOR YOU TO JOIN US THIS SUMMER!!!

You will need to check with your district if it will count for your PD hours. I will provide a certificate that says you completed 18 hrs of PD.

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13/04/2025
NCECA From Afar | Instagram Guests

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Instagram Guests | Episode 1119

NCECA was in full swing and I wasn’t there. So sad! So i did the next best thing… I attended through Instagram! Then I had the thought, What if I invited people that were posting at NCECA to call me for a short interview? So I tried it and it worked. These brave souls responded to my request and I got to talk to them while they were at NCECA.

SPONSORS

You can help support the show!

Number 1 brand in America for a reason. Skutt.com

For all your ceramic needs go to Georgies.com

Micah Lewis-Văn Sweezie

Instagram: @ceramicnoodles

Stuart Asprey

Instagram: @stuartasprey

Cj Niehaus

Instagram: @cjniehaus

David Morrison

Instagram: @davidmorrison_

Agnes Benders

Instagram: @pottenbakster_ceramics

Caitie North

Instagram: @caitienorth

Katie Francis

Instagram: @francis.ceramics

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13/04/2025