Tim See began working in clay while an art student at Onondaga Community College and completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ceramics with Honors at Syracuse University in 2004. Tim’s work has been shown at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C, the Everson Museum in Syracuse, NY, the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, NY, and, at Baltimore Clayworks in Maryland – as well as many other galleries and shows. The work has been recognized with awards every year since 2003. Social media has provided Tim many platforms to communicate with more than 11,000 potters nationally and internationally. Since 2007, Tim has produced 92 educational videos on pottery that have been viewed almost 2 million times and attracted more that 13,000 subscribers.
The preferred printing supplier for potters everywhere! SmallDogPrints.com
You said we have more choices now and we can be our own everything. What does that mean to be our own everything?
So as a business owner and as a maker we have to wear all sorts of hats from marketing to quality control. And as a single owner of my own business I have to wear all those hats but I also get to wear all those hats.
Does that mean one should enjoy that process or do we have to endure that process as a discipline of business?
There are endurable things like taxes and the unwanted business parts that have to happen to be successful.
You said we could pay people to do the non-art parts of our work. Do you think that is a viable approach to someone trying to get their business off the ground?
So business off the ground, probably not, but the goal, at least my goal has been that I can outsource the things I don’t enjoy doing. The hours I spend doing my taxes, I could make more money doing my thing than I would have to pay for those taxes. It’s like mowing the lawn, would it be cheaper for me to pay the lawn mower guy than doing it myself? Three hours of work versus three hours of mowing the lawn. Making my work seems like a better use of my time.
How has social media given you the control you need to run your business?
My business started doing craft shows and doing craft shows I was dependent on weather, that was the biggest determining factor of whether it was going to be successful that weekend. If the weather stunk than I made no money and if I make no money than I have no control over my business. It doesn’t happening immediately but over time I now know what I need to do on social media and I now have control over the start to finish. The making, promoting, selling, shipping, all of that is now my responsibility which is a blessing and a curse.
Are you still doing one sale a year?
It is more so the way I operate this year. Typically, I was doing a beginner’s sale so people who have never bought something could have an opportunity to buy something without fighting everybody.
Below you’ll find a collection of essays I’ve written in my personal journal over the years. These essays cover topics and feelings artists experience yet rarely share.
Can you just do? On artistic sensitivity, self-doubt, jealousy, happiness, failure and work
As artists we’re able to fall deep in dark pits of self-doubt, uncertainty and melancholy. We question our purpose, hold on to negativity, and doubt our abilities because it’s hard. It’s really hard to work against the grit to pursue our calling – something that has been given to us at birth. Sometimes the psychological pressure we feel being a working artist is tougher to overcome than the financial burden we all face at times.
“DO” is the theme of LeWitt’s 1965 letter written to a fellow artist Eva Hesse, who was tormented with self-doubt. In this video Benedict Cumberbatch reads the letter that’s incredibly moving no matter how many times I listen to it.
On comparisons, failure & jealousy
Many artists are riddled with jealousy or a paralyzing fear of not being good enough or of not being able to achieve greatness. As a result we draw endless comparisons and feel bad about ourselves. I often see how jealous other artists are of me despite their achievements and accolades.
I think about the mastery of others differently, although I must admit that I also compare myself to others. First, I look at the talents of others as a high bar to reach up to, as a place to aspire to and to be inspired. I find other artists’ work incredibly inspirational to me, and I also learn from art and artists a great deal. Second, I look at other artists I admire not to give up because they are good and I’m not. They are talented and I may fall into this trap thinking that there is no time in the universe to ever get close to their level of mastery. Perhaps, I’ll never will, but why would I give up on all the fun and joy that art brings me?! Why would I limit myself and stop painting just because someone else is better?! See, comparisons don’t move you forward, they stop you from even beginning doing something meaningful in your life, and as a result you end up achieving nothing, complaining about the circumstances you’re in. I release myself from this weird feeling of jealousy. I replace it with a feeling of gratitude I’m here to create!
Failure takes a big part in my life. For every finished painting there are a few that end up in a trash bin. I get rejected often. I also fail in some relationships with people, and fail to communicate my boundaries that get pushed, pushed to the wildest extremes at times. Failure is intense, frustrating, hurtful. Failure paralyzes. Failure grounds me to the floor so hard I can barely breathe. Over the years it’s getting harder to recover from it. However, failure doesn’t stop me from trying to achieve what I want. Failure is a signal to do things differently, to find a new approach. And finding this new way takes a lot of energy that often rivals my desire to let it all go in flames.
If you are a gifted person, it doesn’t mean you got something. It means you can give something away.
Carl Jung
On Artistic Sensitivity
Artists are also extremely sensitive people, and react to circumstances and opinions on a much deeper level than others. That’s one of the reasons why we see so many talented actors, writers, painters and musicians self-medicating a ‘weakness’ that’s been defined as a ‘mental illness.’ I think it’s more complicated than that. I see sensitivity in young art students. What I can control they can’t yet, and those emotions often arise and confuse them.
Yes, the sensitivity that artists have makes us different, different in having a natural gift that actually keeps on giving, if we nurture it. It can become the artist’s ‘strength.’ We’re able to see something beautiful in mundane places. We are able to move people emotionally. We go down in history as innovators in thoughts and movements. We make the world less ugly and more humane. Artists bring light and beauty into this world and it’s a wonderful contribution into this world if you ask me.
“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.” Michelangelo
On self-limitation & work ethic
As artists we’re creative. However, we often impose limits on ourselves via dated beliefs and social norms. In the beginning of our journey we may want to conform to norms. However, those norms and limitations stifle our natural creativity. Allow yourself to experiment with new materials, play with your ideas and paint what you want to paint! Also, take art classes to learn new or different skill. Despite having all the college degrees I have, I often buy new classes online because I want to learn new skills in digital painting, illustration, business, finance, etc.
Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.
Stephen King
Also, it’s super important to work through your artistic problems. If I gave up on every painting I created I’d be in the same spot I started 25 years ago. By working through my problems, finishing up every painting I learn to problem-solve and evolve. I improve my artistic skill and creativity by not allowing myself to give up on something that’s frustrating at the moment. I usually take a break from work that doesn’t look good and come back to it at a much later date. This pause allows me to see things differently and I am usually able to fix problems on canvas within minutes instead of hours or days spent on it in the past.
“If people knew how hard I had to work to gain my mastery, it wouldn’t seem so wonderful at all.” — Michelangelo
There is no cute formula for success in painting. It’s hard work every day. Other artists’ achievements inspire me to move forward, those artists become my guiding stars. That’s why I have no jealousy towards my peers, because I can see what’s possible in due time and practice. We fulfill our dreams with our own work, not the work of others.
I believe we succeed eventually, because we refuse to quit. Although it often feels like a dead end where there is nothing to go by, when words like ‘nice work’ or ‘good stuff’ can get you only that far. But a strong will, belief in myself, and the internal love for my craft keeps me grounded.
On a bad day 🙁
Powered by the ruthless force of frustration, I run with a steep incline, at the speed number that meets my level of emotional pain. The soles of my worn, running shoes fly over the rotating black belt; they build endurance, the survival tactic. And I run as my legs ache and they beg to slow down, but I refuse, I flush out my hurt with tears. My heart’s stomps blow my ears, and I override it with trance beat. My face deep red, I run. I track the whooping breath in my lungs. My insides burn like fire, and I run. My skin prickles, and legs are about to cramp. I’m acid perspiration. Unstoppable I become, feel the rise of resistance to my failures, to painful words and encounters, to the insensitive world that drowns, but teaches, teaches me to survive. And that’s how it feels on a bad day. Drenched in sweat, I run on a treadmill of artist’s life.
On a good day 🙂
The joy of painting runs inside me like the cobalt blue river. The snowflakes dance above its glossy surface and trickle down in my limbs. I feel the rise of divine energy and melt into another place, the forth dimension. It’s there, there I create. Through the looking glass I fall, where I hear no judgement and see no stop signs. The round clock on my wall quits ticking. Like a sweet fragrance of blooming roses, my joy flourishes and invigorates me. And that’s how it feels on a good day.
It’s one of those rare instances where you can see someone as powerful as Madonna being so vulnerable. Her speech explains so many things that underline her internal motivation for the work she has done as a female singer. She talks about sexism, misogyny, and feminism in the music industry receiving the award at Billboard Women In Music 2016.
“Be the Hero of your own story” by Judge Judy Sheindlin is a book for every young or young at heart girl to read. It explains the importance of independent thinking, and how you can open yourself up to opportunities. It’s available as a free download at Judy’s website: http://www.whatwouldjudysay.com/
On Happiness
Is happiness a persistent state? Numerous books have been written about this subject. A million coaches preach that happiness is your ultimate goal to achieve to live a meaningful life. Everyone wants to get it. And if you admit that you’re not living it, you are the one who doesn’t work on yourself. But is it that simple? Because it sounds like judgement to me. Happiness can be illusive. It’s just a moment in time. A moment of curiosity, connection, love, awe and joy. Those moments could be numerous but emotions are not constant if you’re a sensitive person. Changing emotions are like a river that runs, turns and shifts quite often. Every bump on the road presents a change in emotion. Happiness is just one of the emotions in a big spectrum of feelings. Yes, we can prioritize this feeling to have beautiful daily experiences but there is no guarantee to feel it even when we work on it. It shouldn’t be work… Recently I met a person who emanates happiness. I can see the sun rays beaming from his chest. Can he feel as deeply or understand someone else as well as someone who experiences other states of being? I think it depends on a person… I know a woman who is always happy like a little girl. That’s fantastic because life is easy and fun for her. But when I have a closer look at her personality, her emotional spectrum is shallow. She experiences a limited range of emotions that pass quickly for her. While she enjoys her happy days, she is unable to comprehend the other person’s point of view or emotion.
A range of experiences makes up a person. And when peace arrives, it transforms into a state of serene happiness. Because when you’re at peace, you feel connected to yourself. Happiness isn’t permanent but becomes notoriously present inside the person to become whole.
Omnipresent Love, colored pencil & mixed media on paper
On dreaming big
The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determined to carry out their dream.
Les Brown
As a child I didn’t learn to dream. As an adult I spent two decades of my life figuring out how to dream big. It involved a lot of inner work, parting with established rules and social conditioning. I became ambitious. A word that’s attributed to successful men, ambition often describes women in a negative tone as heartless go-getters. However, a healthy dose of ambition is necessary to grow professionally. As parents we should encourage development of natural abilities of our children to form lifelong interests, and as adults we should take responsibility for ourselves to develop ambition.
I believe that long-term success is never accidental. It’s hard work and sacrifice mixed with obsessive desire to overcome the impossible, mostly overcoming my own limitations. Some people spend years complaining and waiting for a miracle to dawn on them, but I think that’s finding excuses and not working on your fears get you nowhere. By challenging myself and accepting failures I’ve been taking many steps forward in becoming who I am today. However, what I’ve been missing in my life is a role model or a mentor. If you want to succeed in anything you dream about, find a strong mentor in your field. Mentorship helps model successful behavior. It also cuts down on frustration by doing the art business efficiently. You can waste years figuring stuff out on your own.
I also understood that gaining the right direction is a lot more important than speed. We want to have quick results, but life is rarely quick to deliver what we want. And understanding exactly what I wanted took a lifetime for me. Goals and aspirations may change over time. It’s ok. But if you’re serious about your career, concrete goals with due dates on my calendar make a big difference for me that give measurable results.
I often find myself in consistent hard work pushing through frustrations and failures daily, but I have also noticed that it’s not enough to break me through the ceiling. It’s not enough to have the talent. It’s not enough to work hard. It’s not enough to exhibit. You have to find greater meaning in anything you do, which benefits others and is unique to you. Now I know that the most important thing for my soul is to encourage art students to succeed professionally, and this is where you find me with my students, podcast and writing these days.
On finding support
When relatives and family are not great supporters of your art, search for like-minded people to support you emotionally, intellectually and professionally. Also, remember that your family’s absence of support is not because they don’t love you, but because they are also scared of your financial instability being an artist. This fear gets projected onto you and actually holds you back before you even start doing anything towards reaching your goals. Artists at heart who decide not to pursue creativity as a career often become depressed, because they remain unfulfilled and not seen for who they truly are. Therefore, it’s vital for parents to be supportive of their children’s attempts early on to give them the tools and the opportunities necessary to jump on a train on time and to encourage a positive mindset to achieve meaningful results in the future. It’s much harder (but still very possible) to establish yourself artistically later in life.
As a person, artist and teacher, I’ve seen a lot of discouragement and criticism that brings people down before they even think of pursuing something of importance to them. Over time it creates a timid mindset where you simply agree that it’s useless to dream big, or worse, you don’t even know that you can dream. So, instead of coming to the road filled with adventure and discovery, people turn to a comfortable sidewalk of boredom and in-the-box thinking. At the same time, when children get constant praise and 10 golden medals are given to all 10 places, there is not enough improvement and attempts to pursue higher goals. This is where a mentor comes in. He or she is capable of enough encouragement, yet can give a constructive critique, passing his/her skill and wisdom to the next generation of artists.
Every person searches for acceptance, understanding and love. We want to be accepted for who we’re. But the truth is that there is no personal growth, if we don’t look at ourselves from all sides. Surrounding ourselves with good friends who are able to encourage and nurture our gifts often help us overcome the worst pitfalls we have. It’s a blessing. We should nurture those friendships.
The role of the artist is exactly the same as the role of the lover. If I love you, I have to make you conscious of the things you don’t see.
James Baldwin
On belief in yourself & purpose
Sometimes it’s difficult to find meaning in life if it’s not survival. Finding your own path or purpose is a different game. When we finally find ‘it’, fulfilling our purpose becomes a choice whether to pursue it or not. We can live in a depressive state of mind because of these two opposing reasons. If we don’t do what we love, life is meaningless. When we do what we love, problems and circumstances can be so overwhelming, we end up having a depression. What’s the cure? I think it’s about finding strength inside yourself. By being yourself and not looking for approval from the ‘outside’ world is a difficult task for many. I find my purpose in capturing the most beautiful side of the Universe in my art, and I’ve trained myself not to care what others think of my creativity.
One of the most important things in life is to believe in yourself. Don’t say you can’t do this or that. Don’t doubt your abilities. Believe that you can. And learn how to do it. This simple belief system has changed my life. Shifting my mentality, I opened myself up to learning and achieving so many things without relying on anyone else or finding excuses not to do it. Our insecurities, excuses and doubts kill our inner confidence, and if you can’t really believe in your abilities and yourself, your mind says ‘no’, people feel it, and you stay where you are. Dream big. Move mountains. Believe.
This simple word ‘happiness’ didn’t resonate with me for years remaining elusive and meaningless. The pressure to “feel happy” hovered over me like a guillotine, coming from all corners of the universe-the TV, magazines, family. Every outlet fixated on the idea of promoting happiness… Why aren’t you happy? Isn’t it funny how our culture sets the standards? You are either in or out.
I’m so incredibly fortunate I live a lifestyle that many cannot even dream of. I love my entire day from morning to late night. My lifestyle allows me to focus on my job-painting, and not to worry about tending gardens, providing for a large family, or simply looking for clean water, like in the African nations or Latin America. It’s my pure luck to live in a place with infinite opportunities.
I’m incredibly fortunate that I have the talent and I’m an artist. Although it’s been a very hard road to travel, today I understand that what I actually possess sets me apart from others. I used to be upset, thinking salespeople of vacuum cleaners (no offense to all sales associates, please) didn’t have to struggle with attitude, misery, and years of hard work during and after grad school. Now I see that although every job must be respected (a good plumber is always in demand), my work is no different from the work of others, yet it makes me different.
I contribute to society on the emotional level, not the material one. I know that my art leaves legacy, even if it looks insignificant and much less important than the invention of a light bulb or the Internet. I’m leaving a record of our time… Like any contemporary realist artist, I capture the beautiful in response to my surroundings and ideas. As I’ve learned to value myself for who I am, this blog entry is devoted to those artists who struggle to accept and value themselves. It is possible to stop the high-speed train at any moment, if there is enough willpower inside you to embrace change. Stopping my own self-destruction wasn’t easy. Thinking negatively about myself, crossing busy streets ignoring traffic, dragging one day to the next–all were unhealthy habits I couldn’t get rid of…Don’t let your memories, events or people dictate how you think about yourself. In your mind, let negative and disrespectful people go. No matter how you try to nurture your relationship with them, they won’t change their stance on life, and that will continue bringing you down (even if they don’t mean it). Stop feeling worthless by making room for people who appreciate you for who you are and value your opinion. As your outlook slowly starts to change, you begin to attract new and different people into your life; people who inspire you to create, live, and smile.
*Originally published in 2013.
What makes an artist great is the ability to access the inner world we all have but that most others can’t access.
Rick Rubin
How to find your artistic voice
How long did it take you to paint that? “My whole life.”
Jackson Pollock
This is the most persistent question people ask artists to open up a conversation. They also want to gage the retail price of artwork to the number of hours spent working on it. Unlike the production of manufactured goods, this formula is not applicable to artists and art. It’s the fact that classically trained artists spend years, sometimes decades learning and developing a unique style and voice that can’t be measured by this simplistic formula of counting hours spent painting one artwork. Put professional artist in a room with anyone else interested in painting and ask to paint a tree. Both artists will spend equal amount of time on art creation but the result will be different. It takes years to become good, not hours spent painting one piece.
Art is within reach. We always find what we’re looking for if we truly seek it. It takes time and effort and our willingness to change to make things work in our favor. Learning to express ourselves visually is a need. Without having this inner need the artist remains an illustrator or a good craftsman. To develop your unique visual language you must dive deep inside your soul to understand your WHY. Why do you create what you create? What does it accomplish? What do you want others to see in your artwork? These are the questions that are always there inside my painting process.
When I went to art school at the Oklahoma State University back in 2001 I was lucky to have an oil painting professor who was I dare say old, probably in his early 80s. He had his convictions teaching art – painting large, having few rules, not worrying about the subject itself. His artistic belief was rooted in the American abstractionism and skillful realist figure drawing. He used to say, “It’s not WHAT you paint, it’s HOW you paint it.” I couldn’t disagree more with that statement back then. I thought that the subject of painting or the story behind it was vital to the very nature of painting. But I also thought that the unique way the artist handled the paint was important. I still think of the professor fondly. Before and after graduation with my MFA degree at Penn State, I commuted to New York taking art classes in classical figure drawing. I felt I had no talent. I pushed myself hard to learn the skills. I believed that the WHAT in painting required solid understanding of figure drawing. Two decades later painting full-time I believe that it’s not WHAT vs. HOW. Truly creative artists have mastered and combined both concepts in their art. So the subject is just as important as the unique handling of the paint. It’s important to experiment and innovate. Today I tell stories in my art using figure, color and symbols but I’m also pushing the boundaries of traditional painting techniques. While I rely on art history and skills I gained to depict the world realistically, I like to experiment with color, mixed media to create unusual surfaces and effects. So it’s not just WHAT I paint but HOW I paint it as well.
Artist’s path can be thorny, most unpredictable and definitely complicated. People avoid living such a life, many artists never make it in the profession, choosing stable comfort instead, working jobs they dislike. But true artists at heart are artists at every aspect of their lives. We can’t resist the thrill of adventure, self-discovery and limitless learning. We love to capture beauty in ordinary places, of seeing beyond the obvious, of expressing emotions without words. And that, my friend, is a blessing. Musicians, poets, writers, painters and other creatives often live in a tormented reality that eventually bares the fruit of labor.
Brenda Lee Barron is passionate about sharing her love of clay. Brenda loves to make functional items (wheel and handbuilding) to be used at your table whether it’s a meal for 1 or a gathering of 21. She is drawn to minimalist design because Brenda wants what you’re serving to be showcased on the white speckled plates, platters and bowls. You’ll sometimes find a touch of gold or a funky rim on her work.
The preferred printing supplier for potters everywhere! SmallDogPrints.com
Retirement doesn’t mean recluse it just means different opportunities. Would you agree with that?
Yes, one hundred percent I would agree with that. Retirement for me is doing things at my own pace, when I want to whether that is doing pottery every day or every other day.
What does a day as a potter in retirement look like?
So a perfect day look like getting up in the morning, making my espresso, journalling for a little bit. Then I have to play Wordle and then I go for at least a half an hour walk. I can walk along the river here which is absolutely beautiful and then I come back and go downstairs and do some making. I take lunch whenever I need to and head back down. Maybe sit outside for a bit depending on the weather and time of year and then wrapping up the day with relaxing and spending a lot of time scrolling on Instagram getting some inspiration as well.
If that is a perfect day, how often does that take place in a week or a month?
I would say in a week three or four days. Because I also have throw in the days when I leave the house to go to the pottery guild to do my teaching as well. So that is part of a perfect day as well. That is one or two days a week that I am doing that.
So you are not not working, you are just working exactly the way you want to work.
Correct. And there will be days where I will do nothing. Maybe clean my kitchen instead of pottery. That’s no fun.
How do you know what to say yes to and what to say no to in order to keep life the way you want it?
So right now the volume of what’s coming at me is manageable and the two opportunities that have recently presented themselves are two area, two paths that I would like to follow. So I said yes. I also, when I say yes, I have to feel it in my body. That may sound woo woo but the yes, I have to feel the yes inside of me. Sometimes I will think on it for a little bit and sometimes the yes will come right away. So I I do a little soul searching to make sure it aligns with myself.
You mentioned teaching classes, as you are at this stage of life do you find it more pressing to be a mentor?
Yes, I do. It feels good to give back and the guild where I work wheel throwing is the most popular thing. Everyone want to throw on the wheel. And my mission is to make hand building just as popular as the wheel throwing. So it feels good. And I like to see the creativity that people have that they don’t think they have.
From Faber-Castell Polychromos to Prismacolor Premier Colored Pencils: reviewing their characteristics to create realism art
In this episode I compare popular brands of colored pencils – Polychromos vs. Prismacolor. I look at their advantages and disadvantages drawing with them for many years. I also share what papers work best with these professional colored pencils.
Peggy Quinn specializes in the creation of exquisite, one-of-a-kind, and limited quantity production craft pottery. Peggy’s unique pieces blend functionality with elegance, enhancing both living spaces, and everyday living. Each creation is meticulously handcrafted, showcasing Peggy’s expertise as a skilled potter and her unwavering passion for the art of pottery making.
The preferred printing supplier for potters everywhere! SmallDogPrints.com
There’s a saying, Know your audience. Do you know the audience that is going to be at this upcoming show?
Yes, I do for the most part. It’s going to be college educated women and that is my market.
How does that inform your actual making then?
You know, it really doesn’t inform my making, per se because I make what I want to make. I have accepted some commission things but they are only for really good friends, because it’s not what I want to do. So what I make is what I want to make and what I found is that’s my market.
Does photography come into play for doing sales in person? For advertising and getting the word out? Is it important for you to take photos?
I take a picture of my booth. Some shows want a booth shot. But all my photography is done in my studio. I just have a cheapy little background fade with dark on the top and light on the bottom. I use a little device that when I am photographing I take it out and when I am not photographing I put it away and it is my work table.
Do you plan your booth so it has good presentation?
I have four folding shelving and they look good and professional. And then I put up a table and a little stand on the table but mostly I use the edge of the table for my workspace because I need a place for my bags and I need a place for my cash box and to wrap stuff in bubble wrap. I have to have it be practical and presentable.
How do you spread the word for the show?
A good show like this is going to send you out a package , a media package. And they will give you logos and things to fill in your information and send that out to your people. I will put it on Facebook and on Instagram and I am starting to work on an email list.
Do you take time after a show to evaluate how it went? What went well and didn’t go well?
Well I try to add up what did best in sales. And I may make some notes but I wish I was better about that. (laughter) I kind of have it in my mind what works. It really would be best to write it down.
Brenton Duhan grew up between North Carolina and Kandern, Germany–home to two distinct and rich pottery traditions. Brenton studied at Brown University and RISD in Providence, practiced museum exhibit design in DC, and gave tours and made ceramics in New Orleans before moving to New Haven, Connecticut. Brenton is currently maintaining a ceramic practice while studying architecture at Yale University.
The preferred printing supplier for potters everywhere! SmallDogPrints.com
How important is predesigning in making a successful piece?
I would say almost everything I make has been sketched out beforehand. In some way that is the architect in me. So I always start with a sketchbook and that moves into either a paper mock up or an actually clay mock up. And then the final piece eventually.
How would you define a successful piece?
I think a successful piece is a piece that someone wants to live with, wants to have in their lives, and maybe also wants to pass down to someone else in their life after they are gone.
Are there elements to design that are critical to a good piece?
I would say obviously the most important thing is that it functions well, but that function can be determined by you. Maybe it’s a silly function or for me I love making lamps and all you have to do is make sure it lights up. Or with a candle holder, make sure it holds a candle.
Do you welcome critiques on your work?
Yeah, I honestly wish I had a forum or a place where I could get more constructive feedback, I would say. In a style, like an architectural pin up like I get in school because Instagram is not the same, you know. People are very friendly and nice the majority of the time but also they are not able to give you the dedicated time to talk about your piece for thirty minutes. And I think that is really important when you are trying to improve what you are working on.
How has your architectural studies influenced your making?
I think right now my time is spent in architecture so much of the time that when I actually get to the studio I have to be productive. So it’s made me way more productive and I made a lot more designs because of it. So I think it’s a matter of the design process that I learned through architecture and I am excited to make something quickly because buildings take a long time to design and ultimately construct.
Your handles fit your work so well. Do you pull your handles or form your handles?
I love this question. I do both. I start by forming them from a lug of clay that I pinch mostly to get the taper that I like and then It’s a quick dunk in water and a few pulls just to make sure I smooth it out so it feels nice in the hand. And that gets attached to the body of the mug and once it’s attached I further shape it, I dip my finger in the water and shape it with my finger.
Understanding and use of geometry and geometric construction has been a staple in art and architecture for centuries. All ancient churches, domes and palaces have a thorough understanding of geometry and geometric design to reveal the ethereal beauty of the Universe. We can notice a repetition of geometric shapes in nature, mainly in flowers and plants. Realistic drawing starts with understanding and sketching of a big geometric shape to get the right proportion, form, perspective and scale of any object you draw. It can be a difficult task to start drawing complex geometric shapes in the beginning. Therefore, we need to slow down and spend some time drawing basic geometric forms like rectangles, circles, squares, and triangles by using a ruler and a compass. Next, we begin learning how to draw more complex geometric shapes like pentagons. So below you’ll see how to draw a pentagon step-by-step. Moreover, you’ll discover why the pentagon’s shape is such an incredible part of math.
How to Draw a Pentagon
A pentagon is a shape with five sides.
This illustration shows a perfect geometric construction of a pentagon.
Step 1. Draw a cross. Start with a horizontal line and a vertical line crossing in the middle.
Step 2: Draw a circle. Use a compass to draw a circle with its center at the crossing point of the lines. Don’t change the compass size after drawing.
Step 3: Measure the side. The side of the pentagon will be slightly longer than the radius of the circle.
Step 4: Make arcs. Without changing the compass, put the compass point where the circle meets the horizontal line. Draw arcs above and below the circle.
Step 5: Draw the center. Find the middle point where the lines cross (the bisector) and mark it. Use the compass to draw an arc from the top of the circle down to the horizontal line. This makes a shape called a golden ratio!
Step 6: Use the compass. Keep the compass the same size and put it in the middle of the bisector. Draw an arc from the top of the circle to the horizontal line.
Step 7: Draw the arcs. Using the same distance to make four more arcs without closing the compass. Put the compass at the top of the circle and draw arcs where the last arc crosses the horizontal line.
Step 8: Complete the shape. Go around the circle using each arc as a center for the next arc.
Step 9: Draw the pentagon. Finally, draw lines from each point where the arcs meet to make a pentagon shape. Voila! Your pentagon is complete.
Don’t worry if you don’t get a perfect pentagon on the first try. You can keep repeating the process until you get a hang of it. Also, get yourself a good compass that holds the precise width and doesn’t slide on your page. To make the process more fun, you can outline and color the pentagon shape with some Faber-Castell Polychromos colored pencils.
The use of a Pentagon in Architecture & History
One famous building with a pentagon drawing shape is the Pentagon building in the United States, where the Department of Defense is located. The Pentagon’s shape helps use space well and makes it easy for people to move around inside.
The pentagon originates from the Greek words “penta,” which denotes five, and “gon,” which means angles. Pentagon is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon.
Ancient Eastern Orthodox church in Athens, Greece
Greek and Roman architecture relied heavily on rectangles, squares, and circles for their structures. These shapes were favored for their simplicity, stability, and the ease with which they could be constructed. Pentagons, while mathematically understood by these civilizations, presented challenges in large-scale building due to the need for precise angles and calculations. So while the Greeks and Romans liked how perfect and beautiful the pentagon was they preferred using rectangles and squares in their architectural designs. The majority of temples, houses, and public buildings were rectangular including the Parthenon in Athens. This allowed for efficient use of space and strong, load-bearing walls. Often used for courtyards, public forums, and some temples, a square provided a central and symmetrical space. A signature element in Roman architecture, the circle was used for grand structures like the Pantheon’s dome. The Romans mastered concrete construction, which allowed them to create vast, circular spaces.
Rose Window featuring some pentagon-like flowers, Cathedral in Vienna. Photo: V.Winters
The pentagon shape was used in some Medieval construction of pentagonal tracery windows and churches interior space design. We might stumble upon some Gothic architecture with pentagonal rotundas and towers, like ‘Pillars of light’ in the Saint Mary’s Church in Freistadt and the tower of the Clarissine Church in Bratislava. Examples of pentagonal tracery windows can be seen in the Notre Dame of Paris, Saint Gereon Church of Cologne and the Notre-Dame of Nürnberg. (Source: Pentagons in medieval architecture, September 2018. authors: Krisztina Fehér, Balazs Halmos, Brigitta Szilágyi).
Cathedral of Prague, Photo: V.WintersChurch’s exterior detail showing the pentagon shape, Metz, France, photo: V.WintersPentagon shape shown in the book “Islamic patterns” by Keith Critchlow. You can get this book on Amazon although it’s an old one and is out of print. Some retailers sell it as a used book.
Finally, the pentagon in Islamic art and architecture serves as a building block for geometric creations based on circles. In some Islamic geometric art, particularly the “girih” style prominent in Iran, the pentagon can be a component for creating complex, interlaced patterns. These patterns showcase mathematical principles and divine beauty through repetition and symmetry.
You can see the pentagon shape in contemporary art and craft as well.
Mathematical Explanation Of The Universe’s Construction
Math helps us find and connect to beautiful patterns in nature. With its five sides and unique angles, a pentagon is a wonderful example. We can notice the pentagon shapes in flowers and plants, like in the ‘morning glory’ or sliced okra. Math is a unique language that helps us understand the hidden workings of cosmos where the pentagon appears in natural and man-made things. Math gives us exact measurements and calculations essential for building solid structures, designing rockets, and creating new technologies. Geometric constructions seem to be the epitome of a divine beauty expressed in mathematical language of numbers, circles and lines.
Where To Learn About Math Tutoring
Fortunately, people can get easy access to math classes online on websites like Brighterly without attending a physical classroom. Brighterly is an online platform with tutors who are experts at providing tailored math lessons to your kids. They offer individualized, fun and flexible learning experience for children.
If your child struggles with math and needs help in math tutoring, online math lessonsprovide children with great opportunities to study mathematical concepts on your terms.
The article is written by Veronica Winters with Jessica Kaminski.
DonKatz is a blind potter based in Los Angeles, California. Don became blind due to bacterial meningitis in 2001. After waking up from a month-long coma he had to relearn to walk and feed himself and adjust to his sightless reality. What began as an introductory pottery course at The Braille Institute of Los Angeles, has now become Katz’s obsession. Don’s ceramics teacher once told him as he struggled on the wheel that “you are stronger than dirt,” words he lives by today. Don appreciates feeling the clay take shape on the potter’s wheel and how the touch informs the form. He enjoys creating unique handmade functional and decorative ceramic objects.
The preferred printing supplier for potters everywhere! SmallDogPrints.com
What does a day in the studio look like for you?
A day in the studio depends on what I am working towards but like anybody else we have to get the clay ready. Typically I am working at getting better on the pottery wheel and working on building my craft, is my direction at the moment.
Do you have a making schedule?
I do not have a making schedule. I am more at the mercy of what I feel like making. I don’t want to have a making schedule because then I am going to loose the joy of what I do pottery for which is to be creative and use whatever ideas I have in my mind. If I am told to do one thing or make something specific that kind of takes the joy our of it and it feels like a job and I am trying not to make it feel like a job. otherwise it will become less interesting and stressful and not enjoyable.
The clay is so wet and fragile on the wheel, how do you know that the shape is the shape you want when you can’t see the shape that you are throwing?
This is the biggest challenge of all of it. Is exactly like you say, you don’t know when to stop so either I check a lot, which I am really bad at stopping to check or I overspin it and it collapses. There’s that balance of finding when to stop. That’s my biggest challenge. Sometimes I will set a timer to stop. Because otherwise you can just go crazy and keep going for hours. And sometimes we like the form and we ‘ve made and sometimes we don’t so we just scrap it . But right now my big goal is working on tall cylinder because I hate asking to fill a glass of water so I am working on getting height on my cylinders.
Do you trim your work?
I should. (laughter) I mean I used to when I first started and I was going to membership studios and I was much better about trimming my work. Now I don’t because I have become lazy about trimming and I think it would probably look better if I trimmed and made more conscious effort depending on what I am trying to do.
What is a challenge in the studio that you are loving chasing down?
Oh, I love the challenge of throwing. I still think it is a challenge and I have not become proficient expertise at it and I don’t think I will for a number of years. So I love that challenge and that part of the pottery process.
When you are not in the studio what do you do for fun?
The studio is fun for me but my favorite thing in the world is to have a nice meal out in the world. I am a Foodie with a capital F. So yes, I do like good food. So I took my love of food and my past experience and my enjoyment of ceramics and we are going to try and combine the two and at some point my dream is to create all the plateware that I use and to have a dinner party and I’ve made all the recipes for it as well an have a dinner party with that is my ultimate goal at some point. And I am constantly working on my Blishware. Blind friendly dishware that helps keep the food on the plates. Stand by for a few years.
On artist sensitivity, jealousy, self-doubt, failure, work and dreams
As artists we experience a wide range of emotions. All people have them but we tend to feel them much deeper. In this episode I share my thoughts about artistic sensitivity, jealousy, self-doubt, failure and work. I also tell you how I’m learning to dream big as a creative. I hope this is helpful to you if you feel stuck or unaccepted for who you are. Dive into the world of visionary art and explore the emotions and beauty behind art creation.
Maria Loram is a ceramic artist, born in Russia, and is now based in California. Art has been Maria’s lifelong companion, and despite a detour into linguistics at Moscow State University and a subsequent move to LA, she has now built a career in private tutoring. Maria’s core fascination with art’s power to explore and understand the world remained dormant yet undiminished. The turning point came with a divorce, which serendipitously guided Maria back to art, Eastern philosophies, and meditation practice. In 2022, a pottery wheel from Facebook marked the rebirth of her artistic journey through the medium of ceramics. Diving into classes and workshops led by renowned ceramicists like Tortus and Moondobang, Maria has embraced the endless possibilities of shape, texture, and color.
The preferred printing supplier for potters everywhere! SmallDogPrints.com
Do you see yourself as an artist?
Yes.
As you see yourself as an artist and you are working with ceramics what is it that allows a piece to be elevated to art?
I think it is a wonderful question that I don’t quite know that answer to but I would like to. I think first of all, if it’s sculptural or nonfunctional I think it’s a lot easier to call it art, while I would love the functional ceramic pieces to be called art and I think if there is a deep concept in it or some kind of unique way of executing the idea and the functionality of the piece then that is considered to be art.
So it’s the why behind the work that makes it elevated?
I think the difficulty of this question lies not in what the object is but what art is and what craft is. The definition of the word art and craft and I think it kind of reveals the very deep subjectivity of the term art. Because abstract art doesn’t even have to have the why behind it, but it’s the lack of why that makes it art.
Why do moon jars capture your heart?
I think subconsciously it’s the aestheticists and the perfection of the spherical shape. But I do put a lot of meaning to it and I connect it to the cosmos and the non-duality. I like space and all the objects there are round and spherical and made by the gravitational force. And at the same time the non-duality and the idea that all the vessels are vessels, they are carrying something, but they are empty to begin with and there’s the surface that different, but the vessels are still similar. If that makes sense.
How important was the summer residency that you just did?
I think it was very important. It gave me a lot of actual skills in working with wild clay and forage materials as well as wood firing. I think it just connects to my philosophy and to my approach to ceramics and to the materiality of it really deeply. So I am going to continue all of it.
Where do you the journey of ceramics going for you?
I think about it a lot. I think ceramics for me right now is not only the object. It’s the whole field with which I can express myself in various ways. It could be an online course. It could be a local business like the actual community studio. I could be a book about glazes. It could be so many different things, but I hope that I will work through my objects in different directions. One is interior design based and decorative and the other one is what could be called art. So something very innovative and unique. It’s far but it’s getting there.
You can help support the show!
