The Potters Cast

Malcolm Greenwood's focus on production has allowed Malcolm to develop a level of skill and discipline which continually brings more simplicity and freedom to both his exhibition and production work. Additionally, there is a constant exchange, to and fro, between these contrasting areas of Malcolm's work. Great satisfaction is gained for Malcolm from making pieces which are used everyday by thousands of people. Chefs around the Australia are creating mini sculptures of which Malcolm's tableware is an integral part... visual feasts for their customers.

What began as a small garage operation is now an established pottery studio, employing over 20 Waco locals, many of whom are studying artists. Jonathan Martin began throwing pottery in high school, studied Studio Art at Baylor University and after several years of teaching and working for a short time for a start-up in Silicon Valley, decided to pursue pottery full-time. Originally, Jonathan was looking for a shape he could put his hands to, perfect, and then create something both beautiful and functional. Thus, the signature Black Oak coffee mug was born. Shortly after creating his first round of mugs, Jonathan was approached by a local coffee shop owner, who asked if he could create a custom logo design to sell in their shop. As demand for the those mugs increased with multiple other customers, his line has expanded to all types of functional pieces. And although the volume of pieces being produced each week has increased dramatically, something that makes the studio unique is that each piece is still handmade. Rather than a production assembly line, Jonathan has gathered together a community of artists looking to perfect their design and craft and work at an inspiring local business with other like-minded individuals. They work together to create quality handmade goods.

Austin Wieland is a ceramic sculptor living in Georgia. He was born and raised in Bryan, Ohio and began working with clay in High School. He received his BFA from Miami University of Ohio in 2011 with a studio concentration in Ceramics and Minor in Arts Management. In 2015, he graduated from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania with a MFA in Ceramics. Currently, Wieland is the Assistant Professor of Ceramics and Sculpture at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia.

Pierre Bounaud is a French ceramic artist who made his home in San Diego, California. Pierre's ceramic work reflects his training as a chemist, fearlessly pushing the limits of glaze-dom and experimenting with a variety of techniques to create unique contrasting surface decorations. His current work includes colorful saggar-fired vessels, crystalline glaze wall plates, and his White Crackle series of functional and decorative wares.

Born and raised in Hangzhou, China, Shiyuan Xu received her BA from China Academy of Art in 2012, and MFA from Arizona State University in 2016. Completed a summer residency at Archie Bray Foundation last year, currently Shiyuan is the resident at Houston Center for Contemporary Craft in Houston. Shiyuan is the recipient of 2017 Ceramics Monthly Emerging Artist.

Kyle Guymon is a potter from Bountiful Utah, and he carves and alters every form to make either by relief or line carvings or distorting the form from the inside out. Imagery comes from elephants, birds, bison and from nature that use the Fibonacci sequence (succulent plants and nautili's shells)

Josephine Heilpern is the founder of Recreation Center- a ceramic studio in Brooklyn, New York. Josephine loves to experiment in her studio in order to come up with original designs. Josephine's work has caught the attention of numerous like The World of Interiors, bon appetit, Sight Unseen, and many more. In a feture article in Frame Work magazine, Josephine said, "I wanted to make things that were functional, could be used everyday, and were affordable - to me, that's really important."

Trevor Youngberg is a wood-fire potter from Woodbridge, CT. Trevor teaches High School Ceramics and has woven his passion for clay and teaching into the fabric of his life as a family man, potter, and community member. By employing ceramics as a vehicle for creating uplifting and meaningful shared group experiences, Trevor managed to continue developing as a potter while including students, friends, neighbors, and fellow potters in the varied activities that encircle the making of wood-fired wares.

Martin Swart's studio is situated on Martin's family farm near Arniston in the beautiful Overberg, Western Cape, South Africa. Martin lives and works from the family farm and produces a large range of porcelain, stoneware, and earthenware handmade pottery which has been thrown on the potter's wheel, both for in- and outside use.

Kevin Leiva was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Kevin moved to the United States when he was 10 years old. After high school Kevin found pottery and for most of his pottery career Kevin worked at a high production pottery. Now Kevin has his own pottery studio and runs a wholesale pottery business and a painting and pressure washing business. Kevin spent a lot of time at Arrowmont volunteering and taking classes and has done a work study program.

Gina Zycher is a studio potter in Los Angeles, California. She has always enjoyed creative pursuits but never felt such a strong pull to create as she did when she started working with clay in 2014. She strives to make pieces that are simple and modern with a bit of character. When not at the studio, Gina likes to cook, dote on her cat, and explore LA.

Dean McRaine has been a professional potter for 30 years, on Kauai since 1991. Dean is mostly self taught and consequently he has explored some unconventional pathways in his work: raw glazing, cone 10 oxidation firing, WVO (vegetable oil) firing, and Dean's favorite technique, colored clay millefiori.

Gus Villalobos is a potter making his work and way in Miami, Florida. If you follow Gus on Instagram, then you may know him as Gus the Pothead. Gus is in a constant pursuit of the perfect form.

Dana Bechert is a full time ceramic artist living in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Dana was raised on the Connecticut shoreline by two artisan parents. Growing up Dana was introduced to various trades and skill sets, including pottery. Dana attended the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore Maryland. Upon graduating with a degree in Interdisciplinary Sculpture in 2012, Dana started her eponymous ceramics studio and has been working as a full time potter ever since. In addition to pottery, Dana spends lots of time working in her large vegetable garden and putting her pots to use in a variety of cooking disciplines.

Gadsden, Alabama is Parker Hunt's home town. At age 11 Parker and his family moved to Havelock, North Carolina when his step-dad received orders to Cherry Point. At the time that was a pretty drastic change for Parker. Until Parker's mom remarried, his grandfather had the most impact in Parker's life. So leaving behind the Sunday evenings fishing off the peer and then to "The Chief" for banana splits with his grandfather was hard.

Nick Kesler is a 32 year old man who has a beautiful wife, Laura and 10 year old son, Rhett. Nick loves to build things like decks and houses, but most of all Nick likes to throw pots in his patio studio in Lakewood, WA.

Michael Rice is an Irish Artist who specializes in Ceramics. He is particularly interested in firing procedures such as Raku, Smoke and Saggar firing; his work is also is concerned with geometry, gestalt principals and archetypal forms.

Frank Nemick's work flows from his subconscious. Frank explores his psyche's despair and hope. Frank tries to explore humanity's despair and hope. By using abstraction and irony to convey these basic human feelings, Frank tries to show our fragility and our strength. And our folly. Frank is influenced by his past career as a firefighter. Seeing suffering and loss daily, despair is often a foregone conclusion. Observing people cope, leads to hopefulness. A background in philosophy helps to inform Frank's work with hope in the face of despair, and of the angst of being human. Frank tries to offset despair with hope, and beauty. To bring some respite to the human condition. It is Frank's way of coping.

Courtney has been a studio potter in Missoula, MT for the past four years. She first moved to Montana in 2009 as a resident artist at the Archie Bray Foundation. Afterwards she moved to Missoula as a resident at The Clay Studio of Missoula and decided to stay. Courtney studied Ceramics at the Oregon College of Art and Craft. Her designs are influenced by simplified abstractions of nature, folk art, mid-century modern forms and shapes, as well as patterns and textiles. She is compelled by the variation found in handmade objects and likes the personal connection that they help to create as they leave her studio to become part of somebody's daily routine.

Brad Miller is an artist currently working out of his studio in Venice, CA. Brad received his MFA from the University of Oregon in 1977. From 1980 thru 1992 Brad worked at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, Colorado. He served as Executive Director at the Ranch from 1984 thru 1992. Since 1992 Brad has focused on his studio practice. Brad's work is in numerous museums collections including the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, The Denver Art Museum, The Brooklyn Museum and The Renwick Gallery.

Betsy Williams is a studio potter living at 7500 feet above sea level in northern New Mexico. Her work highlights user friendly shapes and quiet yet compelling decoration.

Marina Temkin is a potter in Washington, D.C. She got into making pottery on a whim, when she took a class at a local community studio and fell in love with clay—but quickly learned that making good pots requires a lot of hard work and vigor, hence her business name: Whim and Vigor. Marina loves to play with color, texture, and pattern, and she gets her inspiration from nature, museums, books, and conversations with creative friends. Her focus is on functional pieces because she wants her work to be loved and used often—folks who own her pieces tell her that they keep washing them to use over and over, even when there are plenty of other clean mugs or bowls in the cabinet! Marina wants her work to produce the kind of happiness that one feels when they get a hug from someone who cares about them—being enveloped in kindness, warmth, and love.

Lisa McGrath's sculptures are the expression of the animals with whom she shares her backyard. McGrath plucks those beings and transports them into her whimsical, wonder-filled narratives..... so to with her functional work. It is just as full of wonder and evokes a story... this mug reminds you perhaps, of the night circus – or something.... Lisa McGrath completed her BFA in Ceramics from Alberta College of Art and Design in 1997. She lives and maintains her studio on the cusp of Kananaskis country with her partner and child and four furry fa

Frank James Fisher is an American ceramic artist. Fisher lives and maintains a studio in Milford, Michigan, USA. Frank's ceramic work is influenced by the graphic design principles developed during his extensive advertising career. Frank has worked in the Detroit advertising industry since entering the commercial art field in 1985. This brought a diverse blend of creative influences into his output and resulted in a unique blend of words and images on his artwork. Adept as a professional designer, writer and illustrator, Frank is known and recognized for his graphic design narratives in the ceramic medium. Frank's explorations of western raku exaggerate the graphic qualities of his work. Innovative clay construction methods push the limits of complex, ultra-thin porcelain sculptures fired in a raku environment. Fisher has evolved a variety of glaze application techniques, giving his ceramic surfaces a look of controlled chaos. Frank has authored articles about his methods and philosophy in Ceramic Art and Perception, Ceramics Technical, Ceramic Monthly, Pottery Making Illustrated, Clay Times and Ceramics Ireland. His work is featured in books, magazines, exhibitions and on household shelves around the world.

An acclaimed International Artist and Master of Australian Craft, Pippin Drysdale's career as a ceramic artist spans 30 years. Her passion for the craft merges with a love of the landscape, which has travelled across continents and in most recent years has focussed on the vivid dessert landscapes of Australia. Working from her studio in Fremantle, Pippin Drysdale continues to interrogate her practice from the perspective of an artist without borders. Through a continuing investigation of the flora and landforms of these unique areas of Australia and a commitment to engaging with the cultural, social and political agendas that are shaping them, she is open to embrace each new creative challenge

Anna-Marie is the half-Italian, British-born Australian artist behind Made OF Australia. She has a Product Design background, & lived & worked in Italy & Sweden for 6 years, travelling extensively throughout Europe, fine tuning her creative talents & immersing herself in the international art world before returning to Australia in 2011 & starting her professional practice.

Inspired by nature, Darren Francis Cassidy spend happy hours lost channeling his passion into each piece in the hope that when living with his work in your home, holding a piece in your hands, or just gazing upon them you will also be inspired to go out into nature and revel in its calming beauty.

Jackson Fyfe is a 17-year-old potter from Newton, Massachusetts. Jackson is a full-time high school student and spends most of his free time in the pottery studio. Jackson mainly focuses on decorative crystalline pottery but will occasionally branch out and experiment with different glazing techniques and functional forms as well.

Caitlin Andrews is a part-time, self-taught potter residing in Toronto, Canada. By day, she works for the Government of Ontario as a regional grant advisor serving towns and not-for-profit organizations in the Greater Toronto Area. Her pottery has evolved over the past 6 years as she continues to improve her throwing and glaze developme

Erin Ryan was born and raised in southern California. She has been working in clay for 10 years and received her BFA in Ceramics and BSED in Art Education from Northern Arizona University in 2015. Her work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and is also sold online. Erin is excited and inspired to be making work, as she grows her career in the ceramic arts. Currently, Erin is an MFA candidate at Indiana University.

Maya Rumsey is a ceramic artist based in Denver, CO. In art school Maya majored in glass but found herself pulled into the clay world. After graduating Maya did some wandering around and finally came back to making ceramics and opened her Etsy shop, Melissa Maya Pottery, in 2013 to sell her pot

Chris Casey is an artist from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He earned a BFA from the University of New Mexico with a concentration in ceramics. Since graduating, he has worked out of his home studio and held various ceramics related jobs such as studio assistant, glaze production manager, and is currently the studio manager at a community college. His work, abstract and colorful, is rooted in his love of drawing. Employing colored underglazes and slips on porcelaneous clay bodies, he carves intricate designs into the surfaces of his pots.

Mitch Lyons earned his masters degree in ceramics after completing his undergraduate degree in graphics. Since 1980 he has been a full-time artist, creating clay monoprints and ceramic vessels. His work can be found in the Brooklyn Museum of Art and Delaware Art Museum, as well as many private collections.

William Moon is a studio potter working in Potter County, Pennsylvania. He was introduced to ceramics in high school and fell in love with the wheel. After military service, he pursued his dream and started Imagine Peace Pottery in 2015, producing ware which combines beauty and function. Mainly self-taught, he looks for mentorship by his friend, Richard Lang, a longtime, functional potter. His goal is to eventually produce woodfired pottery, at the end of his dirt road in the country. When he is not busy being a "stay at home dad" for his children, he can be found in his studio, listening to music and turning pots.

After graduating from Minnesota State University Moorhead with a BFA in ceramics and a BS in art education, Miller was chosen for a two-year artist residency at Red Star Studios in Kansas City, Missouri, where she refined her ceramic practice. Her artwork has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and included in publications such as Ceramics Monthly. Since her return to North Dakota, she continues to embrace many opportunities to work within the art community teaching and coordinating classes for artists of all ages. She currently works as a studio potter from her home studio in Fargo, North Dakota.

Liana Agnew was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. She received her BFA in Ceramics and a BSE in Art Education from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania in 2015. She has exhibited nationally in galleries such as Red Star Studios, The Clay Studio of Philadelphia, Workhouse Gallery, Charlie Cummings Gallery, the Erie Art Museum, the Milwaukee Institute of Art, the Morean Center for Clay, Hudgens Art Center, and more. In summer of 2015, Agnew received a scholarship to attend a residency at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts. During the 2015-2016 year she completed a residency at Brockway Center for Arts and Technology. Liana is currently a full time resident artist at Morean Center for Clay in Saint Petersburg, FL for the 2016-2017 year.

Molly Sanyour picked up wheel throwing in her junior year in college and Molly hasn't stopped since. Molly's current job, teaching high school ceramics, allows her the opportunity to constantly explore new ways of creating with clay and she just loves it! It was until this job, and teaching beginners, that Molly really began to thrive as an artist.

Ulrika Weijmer is a potter situated in Varberg, in the west coast of Sweden. Her first contact with clay was in 1982. Since then she never stopped learning and exploring the possibilities of clay. At first she worked as a journalist but for the last 10 years she is a full time potter. She has a large studio in an old bulls stable in the country side. Ulrika works mostly with stoneware and porcelain but also raku and sawdust firings.

Isaac Scott is an Artist working and living in Seattle, WA. Isaac has been working with clay for over 9 years and his work is thrown on the potter's wheel and decorated with silkscreen images of himself and people/places that inspires him. The goal of Isaac's work is to inspire and uplift.

Lainey Fink Scott is a ceramicist and designer based on Martha's Vineyard, Massachussetts. She graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in Graphic Design. There she enrolled in a ceramics class and fell in love with clay. After working with design firms in NYC and Boston, she teamed up with her husband/design partner, Ben Scott to form Bluerock Design. After moving to Martha's Vineyard Lainey's life shifted—she got back on the wheel and transformed her basement into a pottery workspace. While running Bluerock, her ceramics business has grown. This has allowed Lainey to hone her focus—creating structurally functional pieces that can be utilized every day. You can find Lainey most days arms deep in clay—throw, trim, glaze, repeat.

Hadley Sedgwick is the owner, maker, and designer behind Hadley Clay Studio. Since 2009 Hadley has been creating custom pet mugs from her studio on a little island off the coast of Georgia. Hadley has a passion for animals, fascinated by color, and is a sucker for good design.

Henrik Van Ryzin & Denise Van Ryzin make a variety of faux artifacts inspired by Polynesian Pop, adventure, exploration, and South Seas Mystery. Former Hollywood Artists (Henrik worked in Makeup FX, Denise in editing), they founded VanTiki Studio in 2001.

After taking an evening class in ceramics, Daisy Cooper's practice has become mainly self taught. Daisy has also trained herself in the fine arts. Growing up in Scotland influences Daisy's work while searching for a sense of wilderness through form and colour and allowing each piece to bare the marks of the making process.

The Oregon Potters Association has been a powerhouse her in the Pacific Northwest. With an entirely volunteer staff this organization has been able to put together the United States largest ceramic show called, Ceramic Showcase. The Ceramic Showcase has been an annual show that attracts collectors from all over the Northwest and beyond. Some of the nation's best potters and ceramic artists show and sell their work at this event. So I walked around the event and recorded a few conversations.

Paul Ide is a diverse and accomplished artist who has exhibited his work throughout the United States. He received his undergraduate degree in Art from Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2002. A potter, illustrator and muralist, he creates works that respond to the ever-changing seasons of his life. Having been greatly influenced early in life by the Hip Hop culture, his work, regardless the medium used, reveals this influence allowing him to visually communicate his ideas in a way that is deeply and personally rooted. Paul works at the Plains Art Museum in Fargo, North Dakota as the Center for Creativity Ceramic Studio Technician, and Social Outreach Coordinator.

After a couple years of taking a break, Brian Jones is at it again with his groundbreaking podcast, The Jonescast. Brian was the first "real" podcast on the subject of ceramics and helped to pave the way for others like Ben Carter of Tales of the Red Clay Rambler and myself. So I am really excited to see Brian's show relaunching. So we grabbed the mics and had a talk and got caught up.

I had the privilege of of having lunch with Michelle Gregor and Francoise LeClerc at the historic Huber's restaurant in downtown Portland, OR during NCECA 2017. It was such a delight spending time with them. The fun thing about this interview is that it took place during our lunch. So there is a lot of background noise and the sound of eating. But more importantly, there was a lot of deep discussion about the the life of artists.

Justin Reese is a studio potter working out of his hometown of Youngstown, OH. Justin lives with his wife Bailey, daughter Mika, his dog Kuma, and the family's three cats. Justin has a BFA from the Columbus College of Art and Design, and this is where Justin's journey with pottery began. After three years focusing on traditional oil paint techniques, Justin developed a love for clay during his final year. Justin works primarily with porcelain, and his favorite form is the lidded jar. Justin is devoted to help create a culture full of creativity in Youngstown, and he also wish to reach out and educate others through social media.

Robin Hopper passed away this past Thursday, April 6th, 2017. I had the privilege of interviewing him a little over a year ago. This is a replay of that episode without all the music and ads. The episode was titled, Die As An Individual. If you would like to read the Final Post written by his family, then please click HERE. If you would like to see the original show notes page for Robin Hopper, then click HERE.

Brian Giniewski is a Philadelphia-based potter who works primarily with boutiques and design shops across the US and beyond. Over the last year Brian has been working full-time in the studio and thinking of his practice as a small business which feeds Brian's artistic curiosity while meeting the demands of the market.