Ceramic artist Andrew Tarrant is an accomplished practitioner of sprigged decoration. Andrew’s work is a contemporary view of classical pottery forms influenced by historical and mythological themes and a modern humor. Born in the United Kingdom, and moving to Canada at a young age Andrew’s early memories of England promoted the evolution of his artistic career.
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Celina Frisson | Episode 1035
Celina Frisson lives and plays in the canadian rockies with roots on the west coast. Celina is a multidisciplinary artist with expertise in ceramics & design. Celina’s studio is located in Jasper National Park and she believes it is in her greater purpose to create art that connects people to their natural environments. Celina is here to create work that reflects fluctuating landscapes, activism with functionality to impact generations beyond my existence.
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Are there types of nerikomi?
Technically, yes, because you can have different variations of throwing it or hand building it. I believe the term for throwing nerikomi is called Agate and if you are hand building it is nerikomi.
How difficult is it to transition from marbling to actually creating a repeatable scene?
I think it takes a fair bit of planning if you want to do something like a repeating pattern. You have to almost think backwards because you are working at the cross section with nerikomi. You are never really ever working with a flat design. You’re always working with 3D blocks and working in their cross sections, so it’s very hard to actually manipulate a scene out of that.
Is it important to start with a white clay body?
That’s a good question. I think it’s totally users choice. I personally use a white stoneware but you can use porcelain or earthenware if that’s even available.
Are you also able to create nerikomi by layering clay bodies?
I think it is always worth trying before I go and tell you, Yeah, you should go and do that! Because honestly if the shrinkage rates aren’t the same that’s when you start to get the cracking. One of the biggest issues with nerikomi is where the seams join and if the shrinkage rates are different you might get some of the clay shrinking faster than the other clay. I like to stick with one clay body because it is the most predictable and your margin for error is so much smaller.
You mentioned two methods. One is agate using the wheel. Which is your go to method for nerikomi?
I think I definitely do a lot more hand building. So it’s nerikomi for sure.
Book
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez
Contact
Instagram: @thecreativetraveller
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Jonah Harjer | Episode 1038
Jonah Harjer is a Michigan based ceramic artist. His work is highly decorated intricate designs through the use of stamps and decals. Jonah’s stamps and decals have became central to his art. His process uses photo polymere printable plates to impress into the surface of his work.
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How much time in general are you investing into each cup?
I am investing, in general, I am going to say about two and half hours into each cup.
That is a chunk of time.
It is and that depends on the cup because there are some that are more time than that. I am not making those right now. I haven’t made any of those for about a year, but in average about two and half hours goes into a cup.
Do you make a series and then after you have done enough cups do you throw the plates away so they can’t be repeated or do you save them for the future? Are you making in series?
So that’s a great question. It’s the Dutch in me okay, I don’t throw them away and I know what you mean. I see people who do a lot of ceramic molds who retire their molds after awhile and I understand and I don’t know anything about those but as far as these plates go I have never thrown any of them away because for me they don’t seem to break down. They last and last and last. Sometimes I want to come back to a plate for a little particular reason and it’s nice to have those available.
How important for your work is a spray booth?
So a spray booth is very important for my work. I should add that last summer was the first time that I ever sprayed any kind of underglaze or paint or anything. I had bought a cheap Harbor Freight ten dollar paint sprayer a couple of years back and it sat on my shelf forever. I was watching other potters spraying and finally I decided to pick it up last summer and now I have bought another one and I have an air brush gun as well. I even built a spray booth last fall so I didn’t have to do an outdoor set up.
Unique is one of the words I would use to describe your work. Is unique a goal or is it result of your creative approach?
Wow, that’s a great question. I would say it is definitely a result. Definitively because I will often times start out with a goal but it ends up just being a result. Yeah, that’s really interesting, I’ve never thought about that. And as I am answering your question I am going to say it is a little bit of both I suppose. Somewhere in the deep down back of my mind there is part of me that wants to make something different. I always tell people I am making work that I don’t see and that I would like to buy. That’s really what it is.
How are your handles made?
So my handles are all extruded. I can pull handles. I prefer not to. For me, the reason I extrude my handles is because a hand pulled handle is great, but it’s not for me. It’s not the thing that makes my mug what it is. The ones that you are seeing that are stamped, I am taking that same handle and pressing it between two plates and then it squishes it. That’s why they look like that.
How do you keep your heart enthusiastic and in love when there is the daily grind of making work?
From a few different places. One is from the sort of cumulative memory of all the jobs in my life that I have not enjoyed and I am fifty years old and I have had quite a few. And then the other side of it is that I know the alternative, I know what else I could be doing and it’s not appealing to me. I don’t know, I suppose it’s a daily reminder that I could be doing other things. And even when it’s not going so great it’s better than X, Y, and Z and that is enough for me. It keeps me coming back. It really does. And my wife is really supportive an my family is supportive so if I am really having a dark day I can always call them and they can remind me where the light is.
Book
Contact
sacreddayclay.com
Instagram: @sacreddayclay
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Kayla Noble | Episode 1039
Kayla Noble is a second generation potter, born and raised in New York’s Hudson Valley. Kayla is the current Woodfire Artist in Residence at The Clay Studio of Missoula in Missoula, MT. Kayla enjoys exploring the potential of clay in atmospheric conditions and the possibility for conversations that can happen with an ember-bed.
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What do you love most about the community that is gathered around wood fired pottery?
Oh man, it’s just so much passion. Everyone there is really excited to be there.
Is there a sweet spot in a kiln that you want to see your pieces in?
I like the fire box right in the front of the kiln. I like to have my work touching the ember bed because I really like the texture and color and all the action that happens there. So I want them in the fire.
Is there a right way to bring leadership to a wood firing?
I think it’s having intention because whether you are intentional or not as a leader you are still going to be influencing and impacting people. So I think it means coming with awareness, coming with the ability to listen, and then also coming with the ability to make decisions and be decisive and communicate that in, I guess, an elegant fashion, with grace.
How do you have control while being a leader in community of where you want their pots to turn out good and you want that sweet spot for your pots?
It’s a mutual trust that has to be involved. The community that comes to fire with me, they are coming to fire with me hopefully because they trust me and they are going to trust my choices. And when you are going to choose to work with someone and you choose to fire with someone you have the opportunity to look at their work and decide if their firing style might or might not work for you. And what’s great about this residency is it changes every two years. If my firing style does not suit someone’s work there is opportunity to work with other people. So I do my best to ensure that everyone’s work is placed in the kiln to best serve the work and the community trusts my choices.
When you build larger pots is there a danger spot where you have to get through this part and then you are good but everything has the potential of falling apart before then?
Like with construction?
Yes.
Not that I have found, for me. I have had a relatively easy time building the forms that I make.
How thick do the walls have to be to support a three foot tall pot?
With my clay I am building about a half inch wide. So objectively thin, it just depends on your clay body, really. Different clays might need to be thicker or thinner. I am building table top size about a quarter of an inch and then the bigger pots I try to keep as thick as my thumb.
How important is wood type for firing?
I feel like the answer is just, Yes. (laughter) Different woods will burn differently. I’m now from moving from New York to Montana and firing with a completely different type of wood. So that means I am adjusting my clay bodies and firings to suit the wood. The wood is extremely important and what you get is what you get too. So it’s just learning how to work with what is growing near you.
Book
Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit
Contact
Instagram: @mud_wench
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Purvi Fumakiya | Episode 1040
Purvi Fumakaya is a fashion designer turned potter, shaping composite forms inspired by her journey of balance amidst life’s challenges. With an eye for order and flair borrowed from fashion, Purvi crafts pieces that harmonize structure and creativity. Each creation tells a story of resilience and beauty born from adversity
SPONSORS
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How do you go about asking a cafe if you can have pottery class in their cafe?
Those place had already hosted art workshops and a couple of them had already hosted a clay workshop so it was pretty much they already had that concept in mind with what was going to happen. So it was easy to ask them for time that was available.
How much does a cafe require, is it a percentage or a flat rate?
Yes, it is percentage. Most of the spaces there would be a cover charge where they could purchase something worth that much.
How many students do you need per class to make it worth your while?
I wouldn’t take anything more than eight students the reason being is it is a little difficult to give that much justice to each and every person because clay being a new medium for most of them. It is difficult for them to use at first so they always need help. It is always a guided demonstration so eight people is the max I would take.
Do you have all your teaching tools packed up in a bin so that it is easy to take?
Oh yes. I do keep them separately for the workshop so once I come back I will just clean them up in a box where all the workshop tools go. The canvases and everything I will just clean them up and put them together. So it’s easy to carry for next time.
How far in advance do you start advertising for your workshops?
I would say a week before. I would start on Monday if it is on a Saturday or Sunday.
Wow. That’s short notice.
Well generally people don’t decide what they are going to do on the weekend until it’s Wednesday. So Wednesday is when people start to register early. Some people call Saturday morning saying they want to join. I mean definitely it is a pre-registered workshop so if there is a spot available they would ask for it in the morning.
Have you had a chance to connect with potters in Connecticut?
Yes, I have. I made an appointment to meet some potters. It is a great community out here.
Book
The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy
Contact
Instagram: @tattva_kala
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Juliet Macleod | Episode 1041
Juliet Macleod makes wheel thrown porcelain decorated with slip. Juliet’s work imparts an evocative exploration of the Scottish coast. Juliet repurposes shoreline waste such as metal, plastic, and rope into handmade tools for abstract mark-making. These tools are used to generate painterly, unique marks which reference coastal landscapes and the effects of changing weather and light.
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When you are trying to be abstract how to you find a color or form to represent? What is the hook you are trying to look for as the artist?
That is incredibly difficult to answer because I think abstract artists work in so many different ways. For me it often starts with what you call a hook. It’s something that I am trying to express, a particular memory, a particular place, and that could be a fence or a shape that I have seen somewhere, a view that I have seen, a texture. I am very interested in textures and mark making. And I will go through a process of sketching those ideas. Sometimes I make tiles just to try different mark making. I try different tools and just do expressive marks. Quite often to start with there may be no agenda as to what the image is going to be so I will just loosely make some brushstrokes. It is kind of a process of discovery and at some point in the experimental phase I will see things that spark my memories. I think abstract art or abstract expressionism is just that, expressing those memories and shapes and textures in whatever way suites you.
Do you find then that a sketchbook is critical for you pots?
Yes, absolutely. I have sketchbooks. I spend a lot of the summer when I am not at shows, for example this summer I am going up to a beautiful, tiny little island called Berneray. It’s a very beautiful part of the world and I am spending a month there this summer and I did this last year as well and I will just paint and photograph and sketch and immerse myself in the landscape and it’s a wonderful, wonderful thing.
When you are working on a final design does the idea less is more come into play when you decide what to keep and what to release?
Yes, I suppose it does to a certain extent as a graphic designer it is very much what is simplest is best and trying to pare things back. Whereas as an artist sometimes you want to do the opposite. You want to have lots of textures and layers. The graphic designer in me likes white space. If you speak to any graphic designer you learn about the joy of white space, having areas that are undecorated. It gives freedom to the designs you are making to breath. So to me it is important to pare things back a bit.
Are all of your surfaces trying to tell a story?
Pretty much. Pretty much, I mean some of the one off pieces may be less location specific and more expressive. But the regular designs that I use are very much telling a story.
Is feedback from your audience an important part for you? You said you used to sell in galleries and now you like to sell at shows? Does the feedback have anything to do with that?
Yes, I think that sense of connection basically is a big part of it. The opportunity to discuss how things are made. People are really interested in why and how things are made and I love those conversations and I love the mutual education that goes on in the conversations.
You mentioned that your husband encouraged you to do this when your children were quite young and here you are now. When your husband describes you and your work what does he say?
Oh my goodness. That’s very difficult, I should have asked him. I think probably quite driven, very committed. We are very different, the two of us, but also very similar and we are a really good pair. He’s a scientist, I am an artist. He is practical and I’m , but he’s a tremendous sounding. I have absolutely no idea how he would describe me other than slightly bonkers, arty wife who loves making pots in the shed in the garden. (laugher)
Book
Between Mountain and Sea by Norman MacCaig
Contact
Instagram: @thecloudpottery
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Ceramic Showcase | Episode 1127
Welcome to America’s largest clay focused art show. It happens every year in Portland Oregon. And thousands of people show up to check it out and buy pots. I got to be there as an “Artist’s Assistant” to Jennifer Blais and Jessica Joner in booth 60. And it was awesome! I also got to walk around and talk to other participants of the show. Amazing people like emerging artists, first year participants, international artists, the chair of the organization, and more. This was my trip to Ceramic Showcase… Oh, and did I say that the event is put on by the Oregon Potters Association?
Instagram: @ceramicshowcase
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Jennifer Blais
Instagram: @amblewoodstudio
Jessica Joner
Instagram: @jessjoner
Heather Skinner
Instagram: @heatherskinnerart
Drake Bialecki
Instagram: @pacificstonepottery
Anshula Tayal
Instagram: @anshulatayal
Joe Giralt
Instagram: @putzy.potter
Jiaxi Chen
Instagram: @orange_monkey_studio_
Ginger Steele
Instagram: @steeleginger
Sam MacKenzie
Instagram: @keigkenziestudio
Jennifer Hill
Instagram: @jenniferhillceramics
Felipe Marti
Instagram: felipe.marti_art
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Andrew McCullough | Episode 1042
Andrew McCullough is a studio potter based in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. After taking some time away from pottery to further his education–and work in New Brunswick politics–he appeared as a competitor on The Great Canadian Pottery Throw Down’s first season. He is now opening a community pottery studio in downtown Fredericton to make pottery more accessible in his area.
SPONSORS
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The people on the show The Great Canadian Pottery Throwdown seemed very kind and without nastiness. What the show really kind?
The show was just as kind as what you would imagine from watching it. All the relationships that we had were super genuine and we truly wanted every person to do as best as they could.
Did you feel prepared?
I definitely felt rusty going into the show. I was one of the only people in the cast who wasn’t doing it close to full-time before hand. However I was confident of my ability on the wheel so I said if I can shine there I’ll be happy.
Were you given an opportunity to practice the things that are being presented for you to do that day?
Yeah, we had some of the challenges given to us in advance, so we could plan and prepare at home. While we were in Vancouver we also had one time a week where we could go to a place called Mud Lab studio in Vancouver to practice whatever we wanted in preparation for the show.
When the show aired how did that impact your life?
The biggest impact the show had for me was giving me a chance to step back into the pottery world on my own terms. Like I said, I had been out of the world and now with myself being reintroduced to Canada nationally I can take the opportunity to do what ever I want which is to open a community pottery studio.
Do you feel like your business is going to be stronger as a result of being on the show?
I absolutely feel that being on the show will help my business and the studio that we are creating here. Getting that sort of national attention can only be helpful. Now what matters is what we do with that little bit of extra platform.
What is one thing that you would do differently if you were on the show again?
That’s a really good question. My answer is not going to be what happened on the show but I would have wanted to spend even more time with my fellow contestants outside of filming. We spent all of our free time together I wish the times I stayed home in the hotel room I would have actually stayed out with them because they are all amazing people.
Book
A Potter’s Book by Bernard Leach
Contact
Instagram: @nuceramics
Help Get The Great Canadian Pottery Throwdown renewed: change.org/savepottery
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Alan Perillo | Episode 1043
Alan Perillo is a potter living in Tenino, WA. Alan makes thrown, functional pottery that is wood-fired in his anagama-style kiln. Alan has been throwing pots since high school and studied as an apprentice in North Carolina. Alan is currently a vendor at the Olympia Farmers Market.
SPONSORS
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In general how much does it cost to build a wood kiln?
That’s a hard question to answer because there are so many different kinds. I would say it can range from 5 thousand to 15 thousand to build the same kiln. If you used new brick or if you insulated it more or less, if you hired someone to help you, so I would say the range can differ up to 5 thousand plus or minus on a medium sized kiln just one design.
What do you think the pay off time is to pay for the kiln?
Well I think with my kiln we could make up for the total costs in three to four firings of the kiln.
Do you have to have a shelter? Is it required?
It is in Washington.
For the rain. But does it help the kiln itself?
Well you want to keep it dry because if it’s not dry then the energy you are getting from burning the wood is going to be used to just dry out your kiln. The ground all around your kiln is going to get wet, the sub floor or brick is going to get saturated with water and that stuff can take time to dry out. Another disadvantage if you don’t have a covering is it could wash away your skin coat, if you call it that, which in my case is a layer of stucco.
How many firings can you expect to get from a kiln? What is the lifespan?
Again that’s something that depends a lot on the kiln and how it was built. I am hoping I can get 100 plus firings out of my kiln with maybe one or two significant repairs leading up to that point. I would be happy with that.
How many firings are you able to do in a year? How often do you fire?
The plan is to fire twice a year until the possibility that I have a surplus of work built up and I have a shop so filled with greenware pots that I could turn around really quick again probably sometime during the wet season and fire again. But for now the plan is April and October, spring and fall.
Do you bisque your work before you fire your work?
I don’t no. So far everything has been single fired greenware. But I have some glazed that I am introducing to the next firing that I have tried raw glazing with and it doesn’t work out so I will probably bisque as needed for certain glaze applications.
Do you really look forward to the community of firing together?
I do look forward to it, yeah. I think it’s a big component of what I enjoy about the whole process. Along with, obviously, the results of the firing and the rest of the experience and the whole life style that goes along with being wood fire potter. But I do feel really lucky that we have gotten to know and found a really supportive, friendly, hard-working group of ceramics arts people in the Olympia area.
Books
Pioneer Pottery by Michael Cardew
Contact
Instagram: @alanperillopottery
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Shannon Hogarty | Episode 1045
Shannon Hogarty, a New York native, is a ceramic artist living and working in Austin, Texas. Shannon’s work combines traditional techniques with contemporary designs, featuring unique surface decoration and vibrant glaze combinations. Shannon is especially passionate about atmospheric firing techniques, with a particular focus on wood firings. Shannon contributes to the to the Austin arts community through her roles as an educator, studio assistant, and artist in residence.
SPONSORS
You can help support the show!
Number 1 brand in America for a reason. Skutt.com
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Would you consider yourself a studio pottery?
Sure, yeah. Why not. Yes. (laughter)
Do you see a difference between a studio pottery and a production potter?
Yeah, I just hear people talk bad about production potters. I mean a lot of people have a lot of things to say about production potters and studio potters. I don’t really know. I am a potter for sure and I am on the journey of being a full time artist. Pottery is the only thing going on now. So if that makes me a studio potter, sure.
I know throwing can be hard on your back. How do you keep yourself healthy to keep the sport going?
Yeah, I have a lot of sad injuries from a bad car wreck I was in, to my back and my wrist. So I do stretch every day and I also really love Pilates. Potters out there, try Pilates. It’s like slowly strength building and low impact. Just a lot of stretches though, for sure.
Do you have any studio hacks that help you?
Yes! So right in line with having back injuries, I use a mirror. I feel like most of us should when we are throwing on the wheel. Don’t be ashamed about it. Look at yourself and what you are doing in the mirror. I put a mirror in front of my wheel. It helps so much with leaning over to the side and trying to see the side angle of your work. So that’s the first one that came to mind.
What is a favorite business tip that you would pass on to someone who is asking, How do I make a living at this?
I would say, Y’all should look at your website presence. I am a website designer, that was my career before pottery and I sort of made it my mission to get everyone off of Etsy and put the power back into your hands of having your own website where you are uploading your own products to and maintaining that yourself. And you can take that and get off Instagram entirely by having your own mailing list and just putting the power back in your own hands and actually maintaining your own web presence I’d say would be my business advice.
Do you feel that as an artist that being organized is important?
I think so. I think it’s like a balancing act but there does need to be a little bit of structure to the chaos that is being a creative person. And just finding that balance and that balance can look like a lot of different things. Like maintaining a little bit of a calendar or making time for yourself or having someone in your life that balances your energy out. I can be a little too type A sometimes. I have in a past life. I was in business school and was kind of academic growing up and very organized so I like to have someone who is getting me to be a little more chaotic. And some people are chaotic and need that organization and that balance. It is only meant to empower you.
Books
The Creative Act by Rick Rubin
Contact
Instagram: @shannon_ceramics
GRPotteryForms.com
