The Potters Cast

"Whether working in clay, fabric, or found objects, my practice regularly engages with and supports me in learning the nature of and possibilities within "free" materials around me. I am drawn to looking closely and discovering the raw and profoundly resonant power of the unseen and unassuming." —Angela White Angela White received her MFA in Sculpture from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia and BFA in Ceramics from the University of Akron, Myers School of Art, Akron, Ohio.

Ceramic artists Jerri Puerner and Jeff Ham teamed up in 2018 to make a plate a day and post works in progress and finished pieces on Instagram at @365.plates. They maintain studio space at the Grand Rapids Pottery in Michigan.

Janene Waudby lives and works in the Highlands of Scotland. Janene's work is inspired by the natural colors and textures of the Scottish landscape. Janene throws her work on the wheel before burnishing and smokefiring. The vessels are classically proportioned, and shaped in a way which optimizes the spectacular smoke effects.

Rachel Bultman is a wife, mother and full-time potter based in Alaska. Rachel has a background in oil painting and now creates functional pottery with detailed, hand painted surface designs. Rachel and her husband blur the line between production potter and studio potter by producing a large number of pieces while focusing on modern, artistic design.

Christina "Christy" "Golawas born and raised in the suburbs of Detroit. Chtisty attend Michigan State University and graduated in 2013 with a BS in Packaging Science and a BFA in Studio Art specializing in Ceramics. Christy currently lives in Southeast Wisconsin where she works as a Packaging Engineer and maintains a long distance relationship with her studio. Christy can often be found driving to Lillstreet Art Center in Chicago on the weekends to work in the community studio and painting pots at home during the weeknights.

When I was teaching a workshop at Clay by the Bay in San Francisco, a couple ceramic artist and a designer got together with me to talk about what it would look like for ceramicists to team up with designers to help promoter ceramic work. Our two artist were Forrest Middelton and Erin McGuiness and our designer was Lane McNab. All three of our guests work in and around the Bay area.

Brooke Peiffer is a lifelong Michigan resident. Brooke recieved her BFA from Michigan State University, where she discovered a love of clay. Brooke's functional work is inspired by the richly textured forests, plants, and beaches of her home state, whereas Brooke's sculptural work stems from her own internal narrative. Brooke passes her love of clay on to her students, as a teacher of high school ceramics for the last 16 years.

Todd Wahlstrom lives in Whitingham, Vermont with his wife, and potter, Aysha Peltz and their two daughters. Aysha and Todd share a detached studio building a short walk from their home. Todd's work time is split between making and selling pots and operating StudioPro, a small manufacturing business designing and producing throwing bats and other tools for potters.

Lyndsay Meiklem Dean is, The Vegan Potter. Lyndsay discovered her passion for clay the moment she sat down at a potter's wheel more than two decades ago. Lyndsay is the owner of Meiklem Kiln Works, which for the past 15 yrs, has offered community clay and art classes to all ages. Lyndsay is a full-time-working potter and instructor who is passionate about sharing her love for the medium with others. Her work can be found in more than a dozen retailers in the US, Canada, and as well as in Lyndsay's online shop. Lyndsay works with stoneware clay and a variety of glazes to create functional pottery for the everyday foodie.

Cornelia Carey has served as the executive director of CERF+ since 1995. She is the co-Chair and founding member of the National Coalition for Arts Preparedness and Emergency Response, an initiative to improve emergency preparedness and response in the arts sector. Before her tenure at CERF+, Cornelia ran programs supporting artists and cultural institutions at the Vermont Arts Council and the Massachusetts Cultural Council. She has served on boards and review panels for foundations, state arts councils, and the National Endowment for the Arts. She lives with her husband and daughter on their farm in Calais, VT.

Maryan Pelland is a former professional writer. She went over to the clay side six years ago and never turned back. She and husband/partner, Dan, a photographer/engineer, make work in their home studio, work in a community studio, and publish an online magazine for potters

Bob Lansing is a contemporary traditional potter of the Dinē Nation. Bob's pottery is thrown on the wheel and then coated with layers of colored slip. Each piece is etched with Bob's designs that help express traditional stories with a contemporary flare.

Kameron Robinson is the Director of East Side Studios, an art studio in Anderson, Indiana that focuses on workshops, studio spaces, and community engagement. Through his work at East Side Studios, Kameron develops original artwork, teaches ceramic workshops, invests in the studios artists at the space, and works on community initiatives.

Sebastian Moh was raised on a small farm in Batu Pahat, Malaysia. Sebastian's first exposure to the actual shaping of raw clay was in a shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, Sebastian had witnessed a demonstration on the wheel and it planted the seed. From that point Sebastian paid close attention to the ceramic arts. Eventually Sebastian was able to move to the United State to attend school where he received a degree in product design and had the opportunity to take ceramic classes as an elective. After working in hospitality for a few years Sebastian decided to pursue the vision that had formed so strongly as a youth. The essence of Sebastian's work is to create a visual interest that will trigger an aesthetic response. The vessels articulate a rhythm that appeals to an abstract of universal human emotion. Art is an articulated arrangement of a profound idea. "To create is divine, I just rearrange", says Sabastian. His simple goal is to make good work.

Troy Bungart is a multi-talented artist. His first love is working with clay. Troy likes to start out with a simple form and then add texture and images. Troy's love of clay is also expressed in his love of the tools used for making pottery. His handmade wooden tools are works of art in and of themselves. Troy's also makes custom brushes that are perfect for making gestural markings on his work. And best of all, Troy is my friend.

While at NCECA I had the privilege of sitting down with this group of Scandinavian potters to talk pots. Maud Andersson, Helle Bovbjerg, and Daneil Gillberg talked about how Scandinavian potters approach clay differently from American potters. It is an interesting conversation of differences. Maud practices her ceramics in Sweden, Helle does her ceramics in Denmark, and Daniel does his clay work in Sweden. Between the three of them, they represent the three countries that make up Scandinavian region.

At this year's NCECA Pittsburgh I sat down with a group of potters that had put on a room show to talk about what it was like to put on a room show. Now a room show is not part of NCECA, but it is a side thing that happens during NCECA in a hotel room. So that was going to be the point of the conversation. As we got into this we ended up spending a significant amount of time talking about what it is like being a part of the woodfire pottery community. The participants were Denise Joyal, Chris Landers, Lisa York, and Tim Sherman.

Victoria Christen is a studio artist and instructor of ceramics at the University of Portland. Victoria uses mark making to infuse meaning into the objects she makes. All her work in this show—from the deconstructions of found objects to the functional and sculptural ceramic pieces—emphasize the potential of human gesture and touch to express memories, emotions, and moments. Using ink and brush, fabric and thread, glaze and clay, she captures the joy of a young boy's bird egg collection, the melancholy of leaf stains on a sidewalk, the effervescence of blossoms floating on a pond, and the pattern and intrigue in a crimped metal garden fence.

Shannon Holt is a creative director exploring reductive form on a potter's wheel in her Portland, Oregon workshop. Her work is created under the brand of ESO ESTO. Drawn to clay in 2014, Shannon immersed herself in its foundations and has been riding the tension between her design training and the expressive immediacy of this medium ever since. Typically a form is discovered while working on the wheel, then refined through iteration until it feels complete. Guided by the allied attributes of Form and Texture, ESO ESTO wares manifest an affinity for understatement, a deep respect for craft, and the desire to elevate raw material into the realm of beautiful objects.

Carol Barclay is a self taught studio potter, selling since 1981. Carol entered an outdoor art show and was delighted to sell out within 2 hours. Carol is a former competitive volleyball player, teacher, and avid gardener. Working with clay is deeply satisfying for Carol because of the physicality of the process and the possibilities.

Tom Kemp is back for another appearance on The Potters Cast. Tom has been potting for six years and got really serious in June 2017 when he quit his job to work full-time with ceramics. Tom's background is in lettering and calligraphy where he has developed the use of the 'square-edged' brush which Tom still teaches around the world. It's also the tool Tom uses most to 'write' on his pots.

Hannah Lenhart is a recent graduate of Fairmont State University where she both a BA in Ceramics and Sculpture and a BS in Business Administration May of 2017. Since graduation Hannah has been working and living in the beautiful hills of West Virginia in her home studio where she has been busy preparing her studio space, stocking inventory, and transitioning from being a student to starting a small business. Hannah's ceramics career began when she took her first ceramics class her second semester of college, and since then ceramics has been the center of her life. Experimentation plays a huge role in Hannah's studio practice. She enjoys learning and finding new ways to decorate and manipulate clay. Hannah currently works with a cone 6 white stoneware and uses colored slips and carving techniques to decorate her work.

Levi Yastrow is a Chicago based potter who earned a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2012. He is currently a teaching artist, ceramics studio technician and member of the Teaching Artist Advisory Board at Marwen, soda monitor and teacher at Lillstreet Art Center and an instructor at Penguin Foot Pottery.

Justin Donofrio grew up in Santa Cruz, CA where he was introduced to pottery at Cabrillo Community College. Justin then joined the vibrant Colorado community of artist in 2013 in the Roaring Fork Valley where he continued his clay education with the support of Anderson Ranch, The Carbondale Clay Center, and The Studio for Arts and Works (SAW). Justin remained in Colorado to complete a Bachelors of Fine Arts degree from CSU Fort Collins in 2016. Justin is nationally represented in galleries throughout the U.S. Justin was an exhibiting artist and tour manager with the Artstream Nomadic Gallery in 2017 and will be again in 2018. Justin will also be participating in Art of the Pot (Austin Ceramic Studio Tour) in the spring 2018. Currently Justin maintains a full time studio pottery at Art 342 in Fort Collins. The diversity of the front range of the Rockies lends itself to a balance between Justin's love of rock climbing, the outdoors, and the arts. Justin's palette of color and form are drawn from the exquisite and enduring beauty of the alpine landscape.

Ben Gaboury, of Scrimshaw Pottery, is a New England artist who grew up in Massachusetts, and received a fine arts degree studying ceramics in Portland, Maine. After developing skills for wheel throwing, he began experimenting with combining the 2 dimensional with 3 dimensional by adding illustrations to his pieces. He began thinking of his vessels as a canvas rather than just functional objects. Immediately he began portraying imagery that told stories. Never living far from the ocean, Ben saw scrimshaw as an easy and appropriate art form to combine with his contemporary wares. His work follows a utilitarian necessity that is artistically refined to be elegant and present a sense of splendor to the user.

Sunshine Cobb is back on The Potters Cast and she wrote a book, Mastering Handbuilding. Once I discovered the book was out, it was time to get Sunshine on the show again to get the inside scoop on her book and an update since Sunshine's first visit on the show. Sunshine's new book is full of beautiful pictures depicting examples of her masterful handling of clay as she explains the process of the craft of handbuilding functional wares.

Joel Cherrico is back on The Potters Cast for another conversation. This time Joel spends some time talking about the power of chasing goals, finding an audience, and an award that he is helping to sponsor. Together with The American Craft Council, Joel is hosting the Emerging Pottery Business Awards. The goal is the find artists whose work and business embodies talent, passion, and business skills.

This is a little different. The feature guest is Chef David Mork who is going to be talking about the Kiln to Kitchen show. It was a discussion with David that kicked off the idea of furthering the Farm to Table movement by getting the tableware to be made from local potters.

Ryan Reich teaches ceramics and serves as the Visual Arts Chair at Valencia High School in Placentia, California. Two of his star ceramic students, Moriah Ritchie and Masey Park, stayed after school with Ryan and talked clay over Skype with Paul. This was an fascinating conversation about the passion for ceramics as seen from both sides of the desk- The teacher and the students.

Katie Marks lives and works in Seattle, Washington. Clay is a life long passion for Katie and she feels so fortunate to be able to do what she loves for work. Katie has been creating things since before she can remember starting with play-doh, moving to polymer, and now finally with ceramics. Katie took three ceramics classes at her local community college in 2008 but it wasn't until after Katie acquired her first potters wheel in 2010 that she attended the University of Youtube. Katie says, "You can learn anything on the internet."

Adam Chau received a Masters in Design from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His work combines digital technologies with traditional studio ceramics; recent writings on this topic include Ceramics Monthly, Ceramics Technical, and Studio Potter. He has lectured and demonstrated across the United States, including the NCECA Fablab. He has worked internationally, notably at Atelier Ted Noten in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. As a curator, he has produced exhibitions for Clay Art Center, The Clay Studio, and the New York Ceramics and Glass Fair. ​​​​

Tim Kowalcyck makes another appearance on The Potters Cast. Tim's last guest appearance was way back in October of 2016 in episode 254. Back then Tim was working multiple jobs and making his "cardboard" cups as a side hustle. Now Tim is full time as a maker of his ceramic creations. In this episode Tim talks about what it took for him to make the transition.

Erin and Jason Hall, owners of Alberta Pottery (Greenville, SC), are full-time artists creating studio pottery and sculptural ceramics. Jason earned his BFA from Clemson University; Erin a BA from Stetson University and MFA from Clemson. They work in stoneware, fire gas reduction, and exhibit nationally at juried shows.

British potter, Kate Malone is studio potter, ceramic artist, and judge. Kate is known for large sculptural vessels and for being a judge on the popular BBC2's The Great Pottery Throw Down. Her work richly glazed with bright colors. After leaving the Royal College of Art, Kate began working in the South Bank Craft Centre. On display in a number of public locations, Kate's work is also highly sought after for private collections.

Shilpy Gupta was born with an artistic bend of mind. Early childhood saw her putting her thoughts on canvas. During her stay in the U.S, she came across a Pottery exhibition and enrolled herself for a class. From then on, she has never looked back. Shilpy has developed a fully equipped Pottery Studio in her house, and has been creating beautiful art pieces for the last 15 years.

Eric Beavers lives in Nesbit, MS but was born and raised in Northwest, NM. The culture and scenery of the American Southwest has influenced the techniques and colors of the functional pottery he makes. Eric graduated from the University of Mississippi and now works full time as an art instructor.

Introducing Kiln to Kitchen. Kiln to Kitchen is about connecting potters with chefs. With the farm to table movement that is growing in its impact and importance in the food industry, there is another ingredient that needs to be addressed... the plates that the food is served on. The vast majority of restaurants are using mass produced table settings with a complete absence of the maker's hands. Kiln to Kitchen is going to help to close that gap and shine a light on this issue by connecting potters with chefs which will give the chef's handmade food a handmade table settings.

Any Guelmann is a potter who moved from Brazil to Brooklyn to Seattle. For Any architecture was first, photography next, metal and clay forever. Any aims to produce work that's devoid of purpose. If Any's art can be used as a tool for social and political change, she says that she will have failed.

Meredith Host was born and raised in Detroit, MI. She received her BFA in Ceramics from Kansas City Art Institute in 2001 and her MFA in Ceramics from The Ohio State University in 2008. She was named one of the 2011 Emerging Artists for NCECA and Ceramics Monthly, and in 2016 was a Presenter at the Utilitarian Clay Symposium. Currently, Meredith is a full time studio potter who teaches workshops around the country and is a founding member of the Kansas City Urban Potters.

Cindy Bracker is the Communications Director for NCECA and the former Director at Large for NCECA. Cindy is also helping to run the family business of Brackers Good Earth Clays which is a local ceramic supply house in Lawrence Kansas. And, as the picture above indicates, Cindy is also a competitive cyclist. For today's episode of The Potters Cast Cindy is talking through great tips on how to attend NCECA.

Tim Sherman is a potter making functional, utilitarian pottery on an electric potters wheel. Sherman glazes and single fires all of his work in a large wood-burning anagama style kiln at his home in Frederick, Md. He makes everything from tableware: cups, mugs, bowls, plates, pitchers to decorative vases, jugs, and large scale jars. Although Sherman has control over the form and glaze he applies on his pieces, much of the final outcome is left to the mercy of the kiln. Over three days, layers of ash land of the pieces and eventually get hot enough to melt into an additional glaze. Though many of the forms are similar, no two pieces will ever be the same. Evidence of flame pattering and firing length is a huge part of the aesthetic in his work. Each piece tells a story of where and how it was packed into the kiln as the fire leaves markings on their surfaces as it fights to exit the chimney of the kiln.

Greg Daly lives in Australia. His career spans over 40 years. He is a thrower at heart and has a passion for the glazed surface. His current focus is lustre glazes, which give a unique surface and wide spectrum of colours that evokes the vivid hues and atmospheric qualities seen in the Australian landscape. Greg is nearing his 100th solo exhibition, has written three books on glazing and lustre and his work has been acquired by over 80 public collections throughout Australia and 15 other countries.

Abe & Eli Lowham are college students attending the University of Wyoming. Abe & Eli grew up in a small town called Lander, Wyoming. The brothers started throwing pottery in high school and have continued with their passion in their shared studio basement while skipping class. Abe is a freshman dual majoring in mechanical engineering and art. Eli is a senior majoring in speech pathology.

Will Talbot comes by his love for pottery honestly. Growing up in a family of sculptors, architects, and potters, Will has spent a lifetime saturated with a love for the form. Will's pottery is inspired by textures and forms he finds in nature, and the fluidity and flexibility of the medium.

James C. Watkins is a ceramic artist whose work is included in the White House Collection of American Crafts, and the Shigaraki Institute of Ceramic Studies in Shigaraki, Japan. Mr. Watkins is a Paul Whitfield Horn Professor. The Horn Professorship is the highest honor that Texas Tech University may bestow on members of its faculty. Horn Professorships are granted to professors in recognition of national and international distinction for outstanding research or other creative scholarly achievements. Mr. Watkins teaches Architectural Ceramics and Architectural Drawing in the College of Architecture. He is also a recipient of the Texas Tech University President's Excellence in Teaching Award. He is a 2005 Fulbright Scholar, Teaching in Vietnam at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Architecture. He is the co-author of two books, "Alternative Kilns & Firing Techniques" published by Lark Books and "Architectural Delineation, Presentation Techniques and Projects" published by Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company. His work is also the subject of a book entitled "A Meditation of Fire the Art of James C. Watkins" by Kippra D. Hopper published by Texas Tech University Press. He received his B.F.A. from the Kansas City Art Institute, and his M.F.A. from Indiana University.

Courtney Puig's passion is to create with clay, to chase her ideas, and strive to perfect her process. At Fort Collins High School in 2000 Courtney was introduced to clay. It was not until 2013 that Courtney began to pursue the craft seriously at Lightwave Pottery on Kaua'i. Dean McRaine supports many clay artists on island. With a nudge from Dean Courtney took a leap, invested in a kiln, and began creating on her lanai. In the years that followed Courtney sold her work at markets to travelers and local residents, collaborated with businesses, and was represented by two galleries. In the summer of 2016, Courtney traveled to Copenhagen for a week workshop with Eric Landon. In December of 2016 Courtney had several of her pieces make it into the Ceramics of Hawaii state exhibition. At the beginning of 2017, through Instagram, David Kuraoka reached out inquiring about Courtney's clay body, experience and he eventually offered suggestions on how to improve. He said Courtney was learning in the dark and encouraged her to attend NCECA in Portland. That trip opened Courtney's eyes to this field, was overwhelmingly inspirational, and motivated Courtney to make a big change.

Tiffany Thomas is a potter and painter from Florence, South Carolina, where she grew up in a large family on a farm outside of town. Tiffany found art at Francis Marion University and immediately fell in love, immersing herself into clay and painting. Tiffany received her BA from Francis Marion University in 2012 and she now runs a brick and mortar artisan shop and art studio in a revitalized area of downtown Florence. Tiffany's clay work is carved porcelain gemstone pieces and layered abstract paintings. Tiffany's gemstone pottery depicts the fragility of humanity- it's her way of coping with racism, fear, and confusion. While growing up Tiffany was deeply sensitive to the world around her and often retreated into herself for comfort. During her teenage years, Tiffany dealt with bullying and racism, but didn't develop a way of healing until she found solace in clay. Tiffany's work has evolved from carving words and phrases of self care into her pieces to layered complex gems that depict positive thoughts and emotions. The lush, overly layered colors and textures mimic a constant reminder to be gentle and take care of one's self. The world can be harsh and strenuous. Tiffany's hope is that her work calls you to admire and remember the preciousness of life.

Fin Barnes-Long is 12 years old and his love of ceramics started in an after-school activity about a year ago. Fin now has his own studio in the corner of the family garage where he loves creating something out of nothing, and making it as perfect as he can!

Ben Jordan was born and raised in the American Southwest. He earned a bachelors degree in Sociology at Northern Arizona University before discovering a passion for clay in 2006. After completing a Bachelors of Fine Art in ceramics at Northern Arizona University he went on to work and apprentice in the city of Groningen, in the Netherlands. After finishing a residency at the Red Lodge Clay Center in 2014, he went on to obtain his Masters in Fine Art in ceramics from Virginia Commonwealth University. After graduate school Ben completed a year long ceramics residency at Pocosin Arts in North Carolina. In September of 2017 Ben will be headed to Montana to begin a long term residency at The Clay Studio of Missoula.

Molly McGuire | Episode 380 Molly McGuire graduated with a BA in ceramics from Central Connecticut State University. Molly's work is focused on texture and creating a tactile experience in everyday objects such as mugs, cups, and lamps. When Molly is not creating, she serves as the gallery coordinator for the university and works at a local museum.