The Potters Cast

For Stephen Procter a chance encounter with clay grew into a passion and a mid-life career change. Formerly a classical guitarist, Stephen found that making gestures through sound and time offered many analogies to making gestures in clay and space. Large scale is a hallmark of his wheel-thrown vessels, and an attribute that contributes to the quality of animate presence Stephen aspires to achieve. In his forms Stephen seeks to reconcile classical Mediterranean influences, organic shapes, and the innate tendencies and beauty of the material.

Dan Finnegan has been making useful stoneware pottery in Fredericksburg Virginia since 1980.Dan trained in England at the Winchcombe Pottery and spends most summers working in England. Dan has trained more than a dozen assistants, founded Liberty Town Arts Workshop in Fredericksburg, and is the curator of "Pottery on the Hill" in Washington DC.

Mike Griffin is a "self taught" potter who is working on making it a full time job. In the summers Mike is a golf professional and runs a very busy golf course so he doesn't get to make pots half of the year. I truly enjoy getting lost in the making process and the studio and just allowing the pots to make themselves and come from instinct and reaction to the clay.

Petr Novák has over two decades of experience as a seasoned teaware artist. Deeply immersed in tea culture, Petr's work is inspired by his personal connection to tea. His work is internationally recognized and used by tea lovers from all around the world. Petr creates highly functional teaware for multiple settings including casual tea drinking as well as for special occasions and celebrations. With a focus mainly on ceremonial pieces, his aim is to create teaware to support tea enthusiasts in their meditation practice with tea also known as Cha Dao, The Way of Tea. His designs are created to bring ease and joy to their tea tables. Always studying and passionately searching for new inspirations, Petr regularly visits tearooms, tea gardens, and potter's studios from the far East such as Korea, China, and Taiwan. Although he is an experienced traveler, Petr finds his main source of growth from his personal Tea practice and in the experiences of those who use teaware during their daily rituals. He highly encourages thoughts and feedback anytime, it is always welcome and appreciated.

The Potters Cast is 800 episode old!!! In this episode we review the last 100 episodes of The Potters Cast. Thank you for listening to the show. It truly means so much to me.

Kemma is a celebration of colour, chasing dreams, and slow living. Dreamt up by Emma Kaye, she hopes to bring colour and magic to everyday spaces. Emma's work is inspired by the feeling of home, the smell of fresh flowers, big hugs, laughter, and the Australian coastal landscape.

Simon Manoha works on all his pieces and carves them by hand with no use of wheel. Simon works with clays that he collects from nature. Simon's glazes are minerals collected and crushed by his hands. Simon fires in a woodkiln for 7 days. All Simon's pieces are food safe and water tight.

Rhea Bailey works out of her home studio in Oakland, California where she designs and makes all of her pieces by hand. Rhea is drawn to modern, functional pieces that also exude a grounding quality. She loves exposing the raw texture of clay with varying layers of glaze. Rhea makes most of her pieces on a potters wheel, but also hand builds when the mood strikes. Rhea belief is that food tastes better when eaten out of a handmade bowl or plate.

Sarah Ritchie is a self-taught artist based out of Mohkinstsis (Calgary), Alberta. Sarah works out of a private studio using ceramics as her primary media and the focus of her business - From Hands of SJR LTD. Sarah's practice integrates her academic and professional science background with arts as a means to incorporate science communication and an appreciation of the natural world into her work.

Sarah Koik's ceramics try to bring attention to things that often go unnoticed, with inquiry and exploration at the core of her practice. To be both referential and add to the narrative– new while familiar, serious while playful. Sarah founded her studio in 2014, and currently lives in Los Angeles.

Dyana Fiediga is a full time potter living and working in beautiful Hood River, Oregon at the Clay Commons, a community ceramics studio located downtown Hood River. Dyana has a BFA from Ohio University, where she focused on Art History and any medium of art she could get her hands on. In 2010 Dyana met Jeremy Noet of Bluewater Pottery at the Bellingham Farmers Market. Dyana worked in his studio until 2016, when she moved into making pottery full time. Dyana enjoys creating pots that are whimsical, political, and sometimes flippant. Inspired by the natural world around her, Dyana's background in plants and permaculture, and her love of being in community, she is a lover of questions and growth and has created a classroom and studio space to hold wheel throwing and handbuilding classes that are open to the community and small groups.

Teresa Dorey (BFA Concordia University 2018) is an interdisciplinary artist and designer based in Tiohtià:ke/Montreal. Her practice involves understanding the body through haptics and intimate interactions with objects, materiality and research. Dorey has participated in residencies, and been published and exhibited across Canada as well as recently in Milan, Italy during Design Week. She has been the recipient of various grants, most recently from Canada Council for the Arts and Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.

Hideo Mabuchi discovered ceramics well after completing his formal education, but it has become something like a second career for him – one that Hideo strives to integrate and cross-pollinate with his teaching and research roles as a Professor of Applied Physics at Stanford University.

Andrea Swift's pottery journey began, first, with being a collector of it 25 years ago. As a collector, Andrea loved that everything she bought was one-of-a-kind. After relocating due to her husband's job, Andrea decided to take an 8-week class at a community studio to pass the time while waiting for math teaching positions to open up. Andrea was instantly hooked and within the year, set up a small home studio in her basement and hasn't looked back since.

Pottery by Eleni is named after four generations of amazing women in the life of Eleni Falangus Duffy's Greek American linage. All four share the Eleni namesake. Eleni's mother was the first to put clay in Eleni's hands, while the lush Puget Sound region was the first to inspire her heart for design.

Christopher Watt is a studio potter and educator specializing in the atmospheric-firing processes of salt-glazing and wood-firing. Currently based in Montana, Christopher's work involves the production of wheel-thrown forms, preparation of local glaze materials and the resulting material evidence of the making and firing processes. Christopher was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He completed a Master of Fine Arts degree at Utah State University in Logan, Utah, USA, a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University in Halifax, Nova, Scotia, Canada and a three-year diploma in Art, Craft and Design from Kootenay School of the Arts at Selkirk College in Nelson, British Columbia, Canada.

Ido Ferber was born 1989, Jerusalem, Israel. Ido pursued his education are received his BA in Industrial Design from Bezalel Academy of Art and Design and graduated 2018. Ido is currently an MA student at the Tokyo University of the Arts, Tokyo Japan in the department of Ceramic Craft.

SampleHAUS, founded by Diana Adams, got its start by creatively up-cycling interior design waste into eclectic home decor. While working at an interior design firm, Diana was always surrounded by beautiful fabrics and other materials that mostly ended up getting thrown away for various reasons as discontinuation or project surpluses. Diana decided to begin collecting these excess materials and that's when SampleHAUS was born. Today Diana's pottery has taken the spotlight, but it is funding her mission to reduce textile waste in the world.

Brigitte Richard was born and raised in Nürnberg, Germany and has been a potter for 38 years. There Brigitte completed a three year pottery apprenticeship and worked in a ceramic studio for several years. Brigitte is now a studio artist focusing on functional ceramics in San Antonio, Texas.

Haven Tunin is a ceramic artist located in Franklin, Indiana. Haven currently attends Franklin College where she is a ceramics major. Haven hopes to have a studio of her own once she graduates. In her work Haven focuses on capturing textures seen in nature, and she also has a line of work focusing on female anatomy.

Kelsey Bowan received her BFA in Ceramics from the California College of the Arts, going on to continue creating work as a Long-term artist in residence at the Red Lodge Clay Center in Montana. Kelsey is currently working as a professional artist and part-time educator in Montana.

Maia Danks is a senior at Carleton College, where she is a studio art and biology double major. Maia started Octopus Ceramics about 5 years ago when she was in high school. Maia has been exploring functional ceramics and the connection between user and artist through her work.

A fully bilingual shameless punster who lives in Montreal / Tiohtià:ke, Lysanne Larose handbuilds ceramics in her tiny home studio. Lysanne likes bright colours, patterns, and textures, which she tries to translate into bowls, cups, and other wares. Lysanne describes her style as Maximalist with a side of Mother Earth.

San Antonio Symphony Principal cellist Kenneth Freudigman found clay in February of 2019 and has become obsessed with forms and glazes! When Ken is not performing, teaching, conducting, biking, or running you can find him making a mess in his ceramics studio!!

Lalese Stamps is the founder and CEO of Lolly Lolly Ceramics, a ceramics design and production studio which focuses on objects that are functional, unique and handmade to last. In September of 2019, Lalese embarked on a 100 Day Project where she made 100 mugs with 100 different handles for 100 Days, bringing national recognition to the Lolly Lolly name. Today the Lolly team is made up of 4 people and growing. The demand for Lolly Lolly Ceramics is high, but Lila is having fun expanding the Lolly Lolly brand and bringing you new and exciting pieces.

Cabinet of Curious Clay is dark, decorative, and functional pottery created by Lindsay Keating in her ceramics studio in Coatesville, PA. Lindsay references historical imagery in her work as well as creating her own original artwork. Her designs are translated into her pottery through sgraffito (carving) techniques, painting and sculpting. Lindsay throws each piece individually on the pottery wheel. Lindsay does not use decals or printing but rather each design is done totally freehand and uniquely created.

As a BFA graduate from UW-River Falls, Bri Lawson creates functional pottery on the wheel with imagery and bright colors. Originally from MN, Bri relocated to RI in 2018 for a residency at The Steel Yard. Bri currently works in her studio at the Nicholson File Artist Community in Providence, RI.

Ceramics by Jas is a handmade ceramic studio based in Singapore. The artist behind the brand is Jaspreet Kaur. Jaspreet is a hand builder and believes in creating pottery as a form of functional art- a form of beauty and elegance to be enjoyed every single day. Apart from pottery, Jaspreet enjoys travelling and a lot of her work is inspired by her travels across Europe. Jaspreet enjoys playing with colours and textures and creating simple everyday functional items which are a treat to the senses- to see, hold and use.

Daniel Velasquez is a professional artist, muralist, and founder of Hydralas Designs. Daniel uses art to create a dialogue with diverse environments and their inhabitants in order to create a sense of community and wonder to public spaces. Daniel has a passion for nature, environmental design, health, and community which he seeks to promote with his work.

Tommy Frank was born and raised in Florida. Tommy received his B.A. in Ceramics from Asbury University (KY) and his M.F.A in Ceramics from Bowling Green State University (OH). In between Tommy was awarded three residencies: Morean Center for Clay (FL), Archie Bray Foundation (MT) summer residency and Odyssey ClayWorks (NC). He also attended the post-baccalaureate program at the University of Florida before going to graduate school. For nine years, Tommy was the Studio Manager at Belger Crane Yard Studios (MO). When he left that position, Tommy was supervising the Residency program, adult and children's education programming, Studio Membership program and retail clay supply at Crane Yard Clay. Since 2020, Tommy has been the founder and CEO of FrankArts, an online platform that produces and hosts virtual workshops for artists. The mission of FrankArts is to make artist presenters and their workshop presentations accessible to a global audience while generating sustainable income for artists.

Stephen Salter Pottery was founded in 2018 in Rockwall, Texas. Currently running and selling out of San Marcos Texas. When in college Stephen found his love for ceramic art when taking an elective class with Julie Blackstone. Very quickly it became one of the big centers of Stephen's life. Stephen started by selling custom work and doing shows, in 2021 he moved to San Marcos to apprentice at The Barn Pottery. Stephen now lives and works in San Marcos continuing his ceramic business with a focus in functional pottery.

Isaih Porter, born and raised in California, is a young potter who currently works, teaches, and lives in Santa Barbara. At the beginning of the pandemic, Isaih was laid off from his job in game-development and took it as a sign (or maybe an excuse) to shift careers. Now, Isaih has created a small pottery business, began teaching regularly, produces work for other potters, and even converted an old electric kiln into his very own down-draft propane kiln.

Maddy Kelly grew up on an island off the coast of New Jersey, participating in ceramics programs since 6th grade. Maddy went to college and studied nutrition, public health, and then got her master's degree in health psychology. Maddy made a new year's resolution to breathe more energy into ceramics in 2018.

Doug Rubenstein is a potter living in Northern California and is inspired by exploring the intersections between nature and people in his work. Prior to working as a potter full time, Doug was an early childhood teacher for 5 years in New York City and decided to focus on his passion for art in 2020 by starting his own small business, Fifth Season Studio, and moving back to the West Coast.

Molly Walter creates sculptural and functional ceramics with a focus on deeply carved patterns. Molly is a graduate of Haywood Community College's professional craft program. Originally from Illinois, Molly has lived and worked a variety of jobs in Western North Carolina since 2009. March 2021 marks Molly's first attempt at working full time in the studio.

Emma Baird is a jeweler in Edinburgh, Scotland, who started her adventures with Clay in 2019. Emma started out by making some simple plaster molds and slip casting porcelain that she coloured with mason stains, before trying out some experimental glaze pours on slab built stoneware plates. Emma's discovery of the endless possibilities with glazing led her to switch from porcelain to mainly work with stoneware and she finally got a wheel in March 2021. Emma's homewares are bright and colourful and put the fun into functional!

Laura Crosland creates wheel thrown pottery intricately carved with geometric patterns and distinctive glazes, alongside a range of tableware in her studio in St Ives, Cornwall. Laura studied ceramics at Wolverhampton University before working for potters Peter Beard and Penny Simpson before 2 years at the Leach Pottery as a production potter.

Paul Lowe Was born and raised in Oslo Norway where he spent his childhood cooking and crafting with his Grandmother. Paul worked as a food and prop stylist all over Europe before settling in NYC 15 years ago. Paul's love of ceramics started 7 years ago after taking a class.... It was love at first slab. Paul describes his style as heavily influenced by his Nordic heritage with clean and simple lines and colors. Today Paul lives and works in Palm Springs with husband James and 3 dogs.

Rebecca McClure is a ceramic artist from Victoria, British Columbia in Canada, the territory of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples. She began working with clay in 1991, but previously studied art education, theatre design, and art history at the University of Calgary. Rebecca creates work with a modern vibe, using classic forms, stark contrasts, and vibrant colours.

Aba Hutchison is a new potter/ceramicist who has been studying the craft for a year and a half under Jonathan Williams of Rock Hill Pottery Center. Before Aba studied ceramics, she focused mainly on portraiture which has a strong influence on her style, featuring several freehand sgraffito or glaze pencil portraits. Aba also designs section plates for adults.

Tarragon Smith was born and raised in Canada, but is currently living in the UK. Tarragon's background is in fine art with a BFA and MA in fine art. Through a natural progression Tarragon has moved into ceramics and makes esoteric functional ware and non-functional ware. Tarragon also teaches adult evening classes.

Silvia Vega, born and raised in Guatemala, is currently a ceramic student at Lone Star College Montgomery, located near Houston, Texas, under the instruction of Professor Charles Wood. Silvia had the opportunity to explore various museums in Europe, finally settling down to live in Paris, France. Silvia had intentions of finally entering an art program, but the school she applied for had a waiting list of years! Despite these obstacles, Silvia's love for art never waned. In 2017, at the age of 44, Silvia decided to finally fulfill her dream of pursuing an art degree. Silvia was captivated by her first ceramics class where she realized her passion was using clay as a canvas for her creativity. When Silvia's hands aren't busy caring for her three children, they are molding, sculpting, and drawing. Only recently has Silvia begun to enter her work into shows. In her second semester at Lone Star College Silvia won first place in a juried art show. Silvia has been published for three consecutive years in the school magazine, Swirl Magazine, which features selected students' fine arts and writing. Silvia continues to pour her heart into her pottery as she explores various techniques and finds new ways to express her creativity.

Silvia Vega, born and raised in Guatemala, is currently a ceramic student at Lone Star College Montgomery, located near Houston, Texas, under the instruction of Professor Charles Wood. Silvia had the opportunity to explore various museums in Europe, finally settling down to live in Paris, France. Silvia had intentions of finally entering an art program, but the school she applied for had a waiting list of years! Despite these obstacles, Silvia's love for art never waned. In 2017, at the age of 44, Silvia decided to finally fulfill her dream of pursuing an art degree. Silvia was captivated by her first ceramics class where she realized her passion was using clay as a canvas for her creativity. When Silvia's hands aren't busy caring for her three children, they are molding, sculpting, and drawing. Only recently has Silvia begun to enter her work into shows. In her second semester at Lone Star College Silvia won first place in a juried art show. Silvia has been published for three consecutive years in the school magazine, Swirl Magazine, which features selected students' fine arts and writing. Silvia continues to pour her heart into her pottery as she explores various techniques and finds new ways to express her creativity.

Nicola Moore is an Australian ceramics and mixed media artist who works out of her backyard studio in Pasadena, California. Nicola's work is a vibrant and eclectic creation of unique and functional works of art. She thrives on spontaneity, color, and the exciting evolution of experimental processes. Born in South Africa, and brought up in New Zealand and Australia, Niclola completed a Bachelor of Design in Visual Communications in 2004. Since then life, and Nicol's previous work as a motion graphics artist and painter, led her to live in many different cities around the world, including London, New York, Amsterdam, and currently, Los Angeles. Now, through a consciously intuitive work flow, Nicola draws from a global pool of inspiration and experience.

Alison Thyra Grubb makes iridescent ceramic jewelry and homeware in her studio in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Alison graduated from Gray's School of Art in 2019 where she studied 3D design, specializing in ceramics. Alison's geometric ceramics are made using a combination of slip casting and 3D printing and are decorated using colour changing lustre glazes.

Brian Chen is from New Jersey and discovered ceramics in college in 2014 and has since spent most of his time trying to learn as much as he could. Brian took a few workshops before finding himself working with Simon Levin as an apprentice. Brian finished his apprenticeship at the end of 2020 and is currently a resident artist at Carbondale Clay Center.

Brian R. Jones grew up in Syracuse, NY and is now an artist living and working in Portland, OR. He has been a resident artist at Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts in Newcastle, ME and The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, PA. He has earned degrees from The New York State College of Ceramics (BFA) and Southern Methodist University (MFA). He was a presenter at the Utilitarian Clay VI: Celebrate the Object at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in September 2012. In 2013, Jones was selected as an Emerging Artist by the National Council on the Education in the Ceramic Arts.

George Metropoulos McCauley, a Greek/American potter, has had 30 solo shows and has been included in 400 exhibitions. He has taught and conducted workshops internationally. The recipient of 4 National Endowment for the Arts grants and the prestigious Roy Acuff Chair of Excellence for the Arts at Austin Peay State University in Clarkesville, TN, his pottery and sculpture are included in international collections in 12 countries. Among the books and periodicals to feature his work are: Teapots, 21st Century Ceramics in the United States and Canada, The Best of Pottery (editions 1 and 2), Contemporary Ceramics, Wheel Thrown Ceramics, Ceramic Sculpture: Inspiring Techniques , Glazes: Materials, Recipes and Techniques, The International Teapot Exhibition in Shanghai, 500 Vases and 500 Platters, 500 Teapots . Ceramics Monthly, The Chinese Potter's Newsletter, Ceramics Monthly of Korea, Ceramics: Art and Perception. McCauley continues to have a busy workshop and exhibition schedule and still finds time to produce his own local television show," George's House of Interesting Things" on HCTV , and "GHOC Wednesday Night Videos on the internet. He has 2 films to his credit, "Archie C. Bray, Life at the Brickyard" 2008 and "Ron Meyers and the Usual Suspects" 2013. Additionally McCauley has been working with the low income and disabled community for 50 years. He maintains a studio at his home in Helena, Montana where he makes colorful earthenware pots, high temperature wood firing, earthenware wood firing and narrative sculpture. Along the way he has worked as a chef in a Greek restaurant, Formula 4 Racecar mechanic and driver, fulltime cowboy/horse trainer, concrete inspector, aluminum siding salesman, western catalog model, lifeguard and carpenter.

Jolene Hewison is a ceramicist working from the beautiful Margaret River Region in Western Australia. Jolene's work is design focused, with the aim of incorporating both aesthetic and functional qualities in interesting ways. Jolene loves the idea of making work that can feel special and be of use in every day life.

Melodee Joy Jackson is a Michigan-based potter who works with high-fire stoneware. Melodee sometimes etches images into her pottery, such as panoramic views of houses and city scapes. Currently Melodee is making pieces with sculpture, whether that be shallow relief grapes on a chalice or a life-size frog on top of a jar.