The Potters Cast

Laurie Caffery Harris grew up in Boone, North Carolina, a small town surrounded by the peaks and valleys of the Blue Ridge Mountains. From a young age she was compelled to work with her hands, watching her mother, a professional painter. On weekends Laurie spent time in the woods with her father, where she learned to identify mountain ranges and types of trees. Encouraged by her creative parents, Laurie grew up passionately exploring different medias, primarily painting and drawing. It wasn't until beginning college that Laurie settled on a medium: clay. Four years later, Laurie received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Studio Art with an emphasis in ceramics at Appalachian State University in May 2014. Laurie is currently an Artist in Residence at Odyssey Clayworks in Asheville, North Carolina where she continues to create and evolve her work.

Carrie Whalen, mother of four, from Kingston, Ontario, has been studying, creating, and teaching art for over 30 years. Carrie is an award winning design graduate with diplomas in fine arts and fashion design; she represented Canada twice on the international stage in fashion. Carrie has been running Y.A.K (Young Artists of Kingston) art camps for children for 24 years. Over the past three years, while unschooling her two daughters. Carrie has been doing an independent study in ceramics making whimsical, colorful, sometime highly detail, small functional forms. Tuile is a 9 year old unschooled girl artist. Tuile has been drawing, painting and making clay sculptures since she's been able to hold a pencil, paintbrush, and ball of clay. Tuile is passionate about everything she does. Tuile loves imaginative play, animals, is passionate about global warming, chemistry, science, animal rights and is a young feminist. Tuile is currently spending her time learning how to make mugs in her own creative way.

Emily May is most at home while she is in the studio. Emily is an emerging, multidisciplinary artist from Vancouver, British Columbia who communicates her ideas mainly through ceramics but will also include sculpture, painting, film, performance, and collaborative work. Emily's love for clay came accidentally when she enrolled in art school with the hopes of becoming a painter. In April 2016, Emily received her Fine Arts Diploma from Langara College and she is currently residing in Halifax, Nova Scotia where she transferred to NSCAD University. Emily is hoping to complete her BFA with a major in Ceramics this year (2019).

Jon Schmidt is a potter, entrepreneur, adventurer, videographer, photographer, father, and husband. Jon began his pottery adventures in 2010 when he took his first wheel throwing class at Gustavus Adolphus in St. Peter, MN. Jon graduated with a Business management degree. Jon combined his passion for handmade pottery and entrepreneurship skills to purchase the coffee shop, Mocha Monkey in 2011, at 21 years old. Since then, Mocha Monkey has grown from 1 store and 18 employees to 3 locations, and over 50 employees. Mocha Monkey uses and sells all handmade Jon Schmidt pottery. Jon has spent most of his time honing the pottery business, being a husband and father to his 18 month old son, Ryder and seeking out the next adventure.

Hannah Bould is a potter who lives and works in North London. Hannah initially studied Illustration at Camberwell college of Art and went on to work in Fine Art printmaking, before getting involved with clay in 2012. Hannah now works full time from her garden studio making functional, wheel thrown, stoneware ceramics. Hannah's work is primarily monochromatic and she mostly works with wax resist, focusing on geometric bold shapes and expressive painterly marks.

I went to the mic and asked for the listeners to send me their top picks from the first 500 episodes and what part of the episodes really made and impact. For some of the people who wrote in I was able to call them and have a short conversation, and for others I read their email. Either way, this episode is dear to my heart. I hope you enjoy it.

I went to the mic and asked for the listeners to send me their top picks from the first 500 episodes and what part of the episodes really made and impact. I For some of the people who wrote in I was able to call them and have a short conversation, and for others I read their email. Either way, this episode is dear to my heart. I hop you enjoy it.

Originally from Philadelphia, PA, Ian Childers is an Associate Professor of Ceramics at MUW in Columbus, MS. Ian has been working with crystalline glazes since 2005 and has shown his work both internationally and nationally. In June/July 2016 Ian was a featured artist in Pottery Making Illustrated magazine showcasing his crystalline glazes.

Vicente Garcia is involved in producing a body of work that includes vessels in clay, clay and steel, and steel sculptures. In ceramics Vicente's expertise is in primitive firing techniques, primarily raku and pit fires. In steel Vicente focuses on the fabrication process using many kinds of metals.

Adrian King is a potter making functional pottery in Portland, ME. Adrian grew up in New England and learned making pottery in high school. Adrian then pursued a BFA in ceramics as well as worked as an apprentice potter in NC. He now has returned to Maine to make pots and teach adjunct at a local art college.

Scott McClellan is a wood fire potter from northern Utah. Scott received his BFA from Utah State University. He then worked as a Studio Technician at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, and a Resident Artist at Taos Clay. Scott then received an MFA from the University of Missouri. Scott is currently the Wood Fire Resident at The Clay Studio of Missoula.

Markus Flach was born in Bamberg, Germany in 1979. He came in contact with pottery during a backpacking trip around the Dingle Island in Ireland in 2014 where his girlfriend paid for a 10 minute mini-pottery class. Markus really fell in love pretty much right away and a few weeks after returning home he bought a pottery wheel. The following months he learned how to do pottery step by step almost entirely on his own. He purchased his first little electric kiln – then a raku kiln and started experimenting with the different styles of pottery. Markus is a part-time potter and works at the Family Business (Paper Wholesale Company with 7 Employees) at the same time – giving him the freedom to really concentrate on the things he likes the most in pottery. His focus is both on doing stoneware pottery and raku. Most of his works sell over the internet thanks to Instagram or facebook. This year he made a raku film with a talented Filmmaker named Thomas Diroll. In Summer he became a Dad and is now proud father of his second son (first one with his divorced wife).

Samantha Momeyer is a Pittsburgh born potter. Samantha has worked at Touchstone Center for Arts, was the Pozefsky Fellow at Baltimore Clayworks, and recently completed a two year post bac at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Currently Samanth lives in Helena, MT, and is Tara Wilson's assistant.

Warrick Palmateer is a Western Australian potter who has over 30 years of experience working with clay. Warrick's passion for working with clay started at the age of 15. He grew up on Western Australia's Southwest coastline and now resides north of Perth, in a coastal town. Warrick has been an avid beach comber and surfer from a young age, and this love has given him a unique insight into the light, shade, movement and expression of the littoral zone – where land meets ocean.

Lisa Belsky is a ceramic artist and art instructor currently living and working in Columbus, Ohio. Lisa received her MFA from Ohio State University and her BFA from Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. Lisa's current work explores the intersection of fiber and clay where hand knit or crocheted fabric is dipped into porcelain slip to create sculptural vessels.

Bronwyn Arundel studied and graduated with a major in Ceramics and Art History at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University. Bronwyn now sells her work in over 20 Galleries and Gift Stores. In 2014 and 2015 ACTS awarded Bronyn's work with Best New Product. Bronwyn also exhibited at the ACTS Fine Art Juried show. In July 2015 Bronwyn moved from Halifax to Nanaimo, BC where she is continuing her production studio practice with wholesale and local juried craft shows. In March of 2018 Bronwyn expanded her business to include Nanaimo Ceramic Arts Studio and Gallery (NCEA. This location has an 800 square foot class room, tech rooms allowing her to teach pottery and to host other professional ceramic artist workshops. NCA has a 300 square foot gallery space to where Bronwyn features ceramic artists from Vancouver Island and across Canada. Over the last year she has developed an Artist in Residency program that focuses on the business development of visiting artists. Bronwyn is creating a community for the education of the ceramic arts in Nanaimo BC.

Ciro Di Ruocco is an emerging visual artist/curator, splitting his time between studios in Nanaimo, BC, Canada and his hometown of Duxbury, Vermont. Ciro's work in ceramics is complimented by an affinity for printmaking and surface/ texture design. Ciro combines a utilitarian sensibility with a contemporary street art aesthetic, fusing his own imagery to create works that are inspired by our daily lives. Ciro is currently an MFA candidate at the Vermont College of Fine Arts.

Kirk Jackson is originally from Lewis Center, Ohio. Kirk discovered clay, as an expressive material, while studying at The Ohio State University. While pursuing a BFA there. Kirk had the opportunity to spend a semester in Jingdezhen, China and also did a summer residency at Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts. After completing his BFA, Kirk worked as Studio Manager at Watershed, participated in the Working Artist Program at Longwood University, was a Resident Artist as well as instructor at Seward Park Clay Studio. Kirk then became a Long-Term Resident for two years at Red Lodge Clay Center and two years at the Clay Studio of Missoula. Kirk currently lives and works out of his own studio in Missoula, Montana.

Masayuki "Masa" Sasaki, is a classically trained artist, with multi-facetted interests. Masa is an accomplished pianist, award-winning painter, and uniquely stylistic potter. Since moving from his native Japan in the late 1980's, Masa has impressed teachers, patrons, and his fellow artists with his unique sense of precision and artistic vision. "We live in the world where we are surrounded by machine-made and mass-produced goods today. I feel, as a contemporary craftsman, the need to validate the value of handmade items by making things that could not be easily duplicated and unique to my own artistic perspective. For me it is not enough that a final piece be essentially functional and pleasant, it must also be lasting in its desirability for use. Long after I have ceased to be productive the pieces that I accomplish today should still be enjoyed, appreciated, and used. This is the elusive quality that brings value to functional art, the lasting character that transcends the artist and outlives him. Whether in my paintings, musical composition, sculpture or pottery I desire most of all that the usefulness and aesthetic appeal be both easily perceived, and lasting."

Curtis Houston, a lifelong native of the South who currently resides in Lower Alabama. Curtis is the Three-Dimensional Art Professor at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. Southern influences have shaped Curtis' perception of the world and tinged his work with a sense of wry quirky wit. Within these cultural and regional idiosyncrasies, Curtis' sense of kitsch-like designs find their visual narrative and artistic voice.

Tasja Pulawska was born in Warsaw in 1983 and lived in different parts of Europe before finally finding her home in Copenhagen. Tasja studied graphic design in Warsaw and Media art at the Bauhaus university in Germany. Tasja worked as a Graphic designer for about 5 years, and about 10 years ago she tarted playing with clay. Tasja decided to make pottery her full-time occupation in 2014. Tasja was a workshop assistant in a shared working space/studio in Oslo, and after moving to Denmark in 2014 she became Eric Landon's apprentice and later assistant at Tortus Copenhagen (for two and half years). Tasja opened her own workshop in December 2016.

Patrick Kingshill was born in Eureka California. Patrick received his BFA from San Jose State University and MFA from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. In 2014 Patrick studied glass and ceramics at the University of Sunderland, England and has recently worked as an apprentice for Takeshi Yasuda in Jingdezhen, China. Patrick now lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Christine Tenenholtz has been making her way in clay for nearly 25 years. After apprenticing with a few established potteries Christine discovered a love of product design and production. Christine struck out on her own with a signature line of mid range, colorful, functional work, selling primarily in the Southwest, and in her thriving Etsy shop.

Bunty O'Connor learned pottery at evening classes in 1970. Interested in using local clay, Bunty collected and tested different clays of Trinidad. In 1987, Bunty and husband Rory, started Ajoupa Pottery making terra-cotta figurines and exporting in the Caribbean. Globalization eventually caused the closure of the business. Bunty now teaches mosaic and Raku workshops and works on making whatever she wants!

Marc Armitano Domingo was born in Northern California. He spent his childhood traveling to Venezuela where his parents are from and fell in love with Baroque music from a young age. His Grandparent & apos;s house was covered in Venezuelan art, Bromeliads, and a vast collection of Orchids on their roof. His passion for Baroque music led him to study Historical Performance on Viola da Gamba where he learned more about Baroque and Renaissance art and especially ornamentation. In Baroque music, pieces are usually left quite bare and minimal and it is up to the performer to add expression, graces, trills, and other agrément. In this style, Marc uses simple forms and adds appliqués, etchings, and other decorating techniques to create variety and beauty in a piece. Most of his work has some sort of utilitarian purpose.

Jami Porter Lara began working in ceramics after a 2011 trip to Mata Ortiz, Mexico, where she learned to forage and prepare clay, build coiled vessels, burnish, and pit-fire in reduction. Jami's conceptual ceramics project, which contemplates the plastic bottle as a contemporary artifact, has been widely exhibited, including a 2017 solo show at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. Jami lives in Albuquerque, NM.

Rebecca Killen, a graduate of Belfast School of Art, is a ceramic designer-maker living and working in County Down, N. Ireland. With a love of curating collections of complementary objects, Rebecca aims to create ceramic products that can evoke memories, a sense of nostalgia or serve as decorative pieces in the home to be used and treasured for years to come. Our bottles, dishes and vessels are made in small batches using the slip casting technique.

Sara Beth Elkins is a small batch potter working out of her home studio in Lubbock, Texas. Sarah Beth find joy in replicating patterns, textures, and color from daily life and filtering them in and out of her work to create a sense of comfort or nostalgia. Sarah Beth allows her work to transition in color/theme with the seasons to keep things fresh! Sarah finds the composition and marks in her work to be very organic, yet also structured. Each piece dictates it's own path in Sarah Beth's studio, allowing patterns and textures to naturally flow onto the surface. The majority of Sarah Beth work focuses on functionality. Not only does Sarah Beth's want you to enjoy the presence of the pot itself, but also physically incorporate it into your daily routine. Connecting from Sarah Beth's hands to yours.

Cathy Terepocki has been working full-time as a ceramic artist for fourteen years. Cathy's functional work and jeweler is sold in shops and galleries in North America and she has also developed a portfolio of one-of-kind pieces and conceptual projects. In the Spring of this year (2018) several of her designs were launched at Anthropologie stores Internationally. Cathy lives in Yarrow, BC with her husband and 3 children.

Matt Davis' work marks society in the information age and is concerned with a post-contemporary aesthetic in the form of hyperreal vessels. The artifacts aim to challenge perceptions of the digital medium and further the dialogue of handmade versus machine in the creation of craft.

Travis Winters is a ceramic artist and Programs Manager at Touchstone Center for Crafts. Working primarily with animals and figures, Travis creates figures based on mundane day-to-day life, past struggles, and real people. An MFA graduate from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Travis exhibits work nationally and has shown at Baltimore Clayworks in Baltimore, MD, The Clay Studio in Philadelphia, PA, The Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, VA, The Baton Rouge Gallery in Baton Rouge, LA, and the AMOCA Museum in Pomona, CA. Travis was the Lormina Salter Fellowship Artist at Baltimore Clayworks, long term Resident at Odyssey Clayworks in Asheville, NC, a Kiln God Summer Resident at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts in New Castle ME and a Short-Term Resident Artist at Red Lodge Clay Center in Red Lodge, MT.

Zach Orenstein has a communications major with a focus in Graphic Design. Zach is a Graphic Designer full time and potter by hobby. Zach has taught marbling workshops, was a TA at Haystack MtSchool, and a member of the MCA. Zach loves to cook and bake in during his freetime and when time permits, to travel the world.

Josh Edgar served in the U.S. Army for five years before beginning his journey into college in 2013, receiving his BFA in Ceramics from the MUW in 2017. Josh is primarily a wood fire potter, currently residing in Austin, TX. Josh tries to harness natural forces and aesthetics in his work, utilizing texture as a main component of his pieces.

Alana Noy is a Brooklyn, New York potter where she runs Malka Dina, a studio that produces an evolving collection of home wares, jewelry, and art.

Delvin Goode has been doing pottery off and on for over 20 years. Delvin is currently pursuing a Master of Ceramics from Fort Hays State University, though he work in all types medium. Delvin is loving the process more and more each day.

Carly Gibran Hamid graduated from Stetson University in 2003. She taught art in public schools for seven years, owned a small gallery, and has worked with several local art organizations. In 2015, she left teaching to become a full time studio artist. Carly works with porcelain, making functional and sculptural ceramics that are inspired by the natural world. She lives in DeLand, Florida with her husband and their two sons.

Originally trained as a painter, Kara Leigh Ford is a potter working from her tiny garden studio in rural Somerset, UK. Kara predominantly makes tableware and larger art pieces. Growing up next to the ocean in Devon, England - Kara's work is inspired by the ever changing textures and colour of her beloved coast.

Jeanette Zeis is a functional and decorative potter, and has worked with clay for over 20 years. Using a variety of techniques, Jeanette continues to explore and evolve her studio pottery practice. Jeanette's pottery line contains beautiful and original housewares- wonderfully crafted, with an eye for detail, and designed for everyday use while still being perfect for lovely displays. An admirer of vintage housewares, Jeanette's color palette reflects a love for fiesta ware.

Bryan Wilkerson is a Tennessee Native and Professor of Art and Design at Roane State Community College. Bryan's creative practices are focused primarily on Ceramics and Public Art but extends into design and drawing. Bryan's work explores humor, craft, irony, and play through common symbolic references. Bryan is also the creator and director of the ArtMobile traveling gallery and pop up workshop space.

Dana Gabel produces ceramic work that is functional with a sculptural flare. Born and raised in Bronx, NY she now resides Pennsylvania. After obtaining a BA in Visual Art she currently continues to refine her work, showing predominately in Northeastern Pennsylvania but also displaying work in parts of the U.S.

Danny Meisinger have been a potter now for about 30 years. Danny has taken a few college classes but is mostly self taught. Once Danny began making work worth keeping, he has had about 4 evolutions of work, with the forth being pretty new right now. Danny is married and has four children and two grandchildren.

Amy Noel grew up in Nova Scotia and was certified as an art teacher and eventually moved to Japan. Amy lived in the Japanese countryside for 3 years and was a member of a community pottery center for her last 1.5 years. Amy came back to Nova Scotia and has been making and selling pottery since 2013. Amy is inspired by Wabi Sabi and Nova Scotia culture, attempting to combine the two in her pottery. Amy has a 2 year old and 3 year old (daughters).

After graduating from the Emily Carr University of Art and Design, former product designer Gabrielle Burke founded g ceramic & co. Gabrielle was enamored by the way ceramic objects habitat in our daily lives. For her it is amazing how people rely on objects such as mugs and bowls and have an interpersonal relationship with them. Gabrielle creates work for wedding registries, restaurants, online, retail, markets, and is also available by appointment at her studio on Alberta & 5th Avenue in Vancouver, BC.

In 1980 Dale and Liane Maddox purchased a century old, two story corner building in Hardy Arkansas, a sleepy resort town on the Spring River. The building had been neglected, but with much preservation effort, it was eventually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas. Melding their work ethics and skills, they established their pottery studio and began a retail shop (Hardy Pottery) to sell their work and the work of other artist/craftsmen, earning a nomination as one of the top 100 sellers of American Handcrafts from Niche Magazine of Philadelphia. Somehow the combination of a pottery , retail, and raising 4 children was managed with a chaotic balance. In 2016, they reached a decision to sell the building and retail business. They established a new workshop on Petit Jean Mountain, in central Arkansas, just West of Little Rock, Now under the name, Old Dog Pottery, they produce a variety of gas fired stoneware for their former business and new clients gained in central Arkansas. At a less frenetic pace, they are exploring earthen ware, cone 6 electric and reduction firing, and have time for welcome interruptions such as grandchildren and casual visitors.

Anastasia Ceramum is a ceramic artist living in Moscow, Russia. Anastasia has built a thriving business catering to other businesses that need ceramic items to be made for them. She has employees and is making a a great go at it in Moscow.

Wendy Wrenn Werstlein came to clay as a second vocation. For 10 years Wendy taught high school biology were she worked to cultivate in students a desire to explore the world while also encouraging scientific inquiry. Wendy finds these two skills served her just as well in the studio. Wendy left teaching and returned to the classroom as a student at Haywood Community College completing an Associates Degree in Professional Crafts. From there Wendy moved to Floyd, Virginia and worked as an apprentice to Silvie Granatelli, studio potter. Wendy now lives and works in her studio/home on the Blue Ridge Parkway, building a life as a studio potter in Floyd, Virginia.

Steve received his MFA at Alfred. He is a full-time potter and retired JSU professor. Steve recently self-published a book on glazes. He has been a presenter, panel moderator, glaze doctor, and TGDL at NCECA. He has hosted the AL Clay Conference and been awarded ASCA and SAF/NEA fellowships. Lynnette Hesser received her MFA from UF. She taught 26 years, now works full-time in the studio, and was the contributing editor on a book on glazes for her husband, Steve Loucks. She received the ASCA Crafts Fellowship, conducts workshops, exhibits her work nationwide, and has co-hosted the Alabama Clay Conference.

Tom Edwards took his first ceramics class at Mira Costa High School when he was fifteen years old. While pursuing a B.A. degree in Art History at UC Santa Barbara, Tom took two years of studio art classes in ceramics and sculpture. By 1983, Tom had a relatively successful line of pottery which he sold mainly through retail craft fairs. It was at this time that he came up with the idea of Wally. The next year Tom moved to Los Angeles where he built a small studio in his sister's garage. He dropped his previous line of pottery and he began decorating all of his pots with cartoon imagery. Eventually Tom moved and set up shop in Colorado where he lives and works today. Recently Tom stood up to Tesla and Elon Musk for copyright infringement and Tom won.

Inge Vincents started playing with clay when she was 4. Inge continued clay playing through school and beyond, and at 37 she sold her first piece. Inge has specialized in thinware porcelain and has worked as a full-time studio ceramist for the past 14 years. Inge established her own studio in Copenhagen in 2009.

Lori Rollason was originally from Middletown, Connecticut. Now Lori lives and works in Hillsborough New Hampshire. Lori Is a full time potter and a part time teacher. Lori has her own studio in the barn attached to her house. Lori makes mostly functional cone 6, electric fired pottery.