The Potters Cast

Jacob Vinson originates from high desert plains of Wyoming, although he now calls Michigan home. Jacob has been working as a ceramic artist for over fifteen years and his fascination with the medium only continues to grow. In 2009 Jacob received his BFA from Utah State University, and in 2021 he received his MFA from Cranbrook Academy of Art. Jacob's studio practice primarily revolves around but is not limited to utilitarian craft and the material science that is clay.

Cameron Williams works to Order specializing in large wheel formed planter commissions for Shopping centres, office blocks and homes. Cameron's journey began 40 years ago at East Sydney Techical College, where students learned all aspects of the craft. Cameron did an apprenticeship followed with Errol Barnes followed by his first big commission which was Australia's New Parliament House. http://ThePottersCast.com/826

Rebecca May Verrill is a Maine native and has regularly been working with clay since the late 90s. Rebecca received her MFA in Ceramics from SUNY New Paltz in 2013 and has taught in a variety of settings including K12 schools, community college, as well as workshops in studios and craft centers across the country. Rebecca exhibits her work regionally and nationally through shows, galleries and through her website. She maintains her studio practice in Portland, Maine

Here in the Pacific Northwest we had a rare snow day in April... It hasn't snowed here in April in the last 80 years! So I decided to a random invitation through my Instagram Stories to my followers to see who would like to jump on Zoom for a short conversation. I picked the first responses. You will find that these people are amazing! Kelly Beierman, Katrina Frigeria, Diego Valles, Deepika Dhoolypala, Megan Baig, and Morghan Gray all raised their hands and I am so happy they did. http://ThePottersCast.com/824

Sophia Sohyun Kim loves working with clay. The inspiration of working with clay, the texture of reliefs, and cut outs are energizing to Sophia. Throwing clay on the potter's wheel, in particular, can be addictive to Sophia as it is quiet and personal; it is like a meditation for her as she has to center herself before she can center the clay. Trees have been Sophia's obsession for a long time. Her fascination on tree barks started while taking pictures of birch, oak, and cedar trees in the Pacific Northwest. Sophia has been mesmerized that the the trees all seem to have scars on their barks and try to tell us their stories which call to us... Sophia watchfully listens to their stories to share botanic exquisiteness beyond cicatrix.

Rachel Zylka is a Psychologist who does psycho-educational assessments and provides behavioral support for families, children, and young adults. Rachel is also a self-proclaimed "accidental maker" who fell in with clay. As a micro batch maker, Rachel makes limited edition functional work.

Along with teaching and creating his own work, Jon Puzzuoli takes on a diversity of commissions. Many organizations, churches, interior designers, and fellow artists of all kinds have commissioned work from Jon. Jon is used to taking on a wide array of commission ideas that are both functional and sculptural, for indoors or out. Starting with a sketch and a description,

Krissy Ramirez is a Mexican artist that uses her border experiences in her art. From luscious cacti to abandoned plaster walls Krissy uses graffiti to express thoughts in words written in a creative illegible language. Krissy continues to make work surrounded by graffitied trains en las montañas of Missoula, Montana.

Jared Peterson, affectionately known to many as J-Dog, was raised in Morgantown, West Virginia. There, Jared attended West Virginia University for his undergraduate education and received degrees in both English and Ceramics. Jared has both exhibited nationally and internationally and is a current MFA candidate at Arizona State University.

Sunshine Cobb's new book, The Beginners Guide to Hand Building, has been a labor of love during the past year, and she can't wait to share it with you. Sunshine is back on The Potters Cast to talk about her new book, but strangely enough, we end up talking about widening our lane to make the fuller life we want to live.

Ayla Mullen has a BA in Environmental Political Theory and Ceramics from Marlboro College, and completed a 2 year apprenticeship with Ellen Shankin in Floyd, VA. Now a full time studio artist, Ayla makes wheel-thrown functional pottery with botanically inspired surface designs. She recently hiked the Pacific Crest Trail and moved her home and studio to Bellingham, WA.

Cindi Danieli a mom, she has 4 amazing kids and a sweet puppy. Cindi lived in Philadelphia until she moved to Florida 8 years ago. Cindi had always wanted to try the pottery wheel, and about 3 years ago from the time of this episodes release she decided to take a class. Cindi was hooked immediately, fell in love with everything about it. She hopes to be able to do it full time someday.

Ron Philbeck is a potter specializing in wheel thrown, sodium vapor glazed pottery. The limited production and one of a kind pots are created at Ron's studio in Shelby, N.C. Ron believes that pots should be well made, pleasant to look at, and easy to use. Ron's work can be found in collections and kitchens around the world.

Dara Hartman is a full time studio artist in Salt Lake City, UT. Dara is the Director of the Women Working With Clay Symposium at Hollins University in Roanoke, VA. Dara received a BFA from Virginia Tech and an MFA from Montana State University.

Tom Edwards has been a full time studio potter since graduating from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in Art History in 1978. Tom works out of his home in Evergreen, CO. His pottery is wheel thrown, high fire, functional porcelain mugs, plates and bowls decorated with cartoons and ceramic decals. The predominant theme in Tom's work is his sense of humor. "I love the fact that a coffee mug can be a traveling soap box or vehicle for my point of view about something that is going on in the world. My best designs are the ones that tell a weird story about our time in history." In 2018 Tom received worldwide media coverage over his copyright dispute with Elon Musk and Tesla Motors (see Potters Cast episode 459). The electric car company had placed Tom's farting unicorn cartoon in the touch screens of their cars without obtaining his permission. Upon receiving a reasonable settlement from Tesla Motors, Tom became a voice for artists who have had their artwork stolen by larger companies. On Thursday, March 17 Tom will be talking about this adventure plus "Copyright 101 for Ceramic Decal Printers" at NCECA 2022 in Sacramento, CA. Rosetta Technologies has generously agreed to give away a CerPrint Black (or Blue) ceramic decal printing system ($695 value) to one lucky attendee at Tom's lecture. Must be present to win.

Kara Leigh Ford is a potter based near Bath in the South West of England. At the time of this episode Kara has been a professional potter for 7 years and a hobbyist for 13 more. Kara studied fine art at university but didn't touch clay until she graduated. Mostly self taught, Kara now teaches others how to make pots via her online community called Pottery Club. She has just written her first book called 'Pottery for Beginners' published at the end of 2021.

Shelly is a ceramic artist living in Eugene, Oregon. Her work is a tribute to the natural world, its dynamic processes and im/possibilities. She believes an artist's work and life are not separate and she approaches the entirety with authenticity, simplicity, curiosity, and responsibility-- to the earth and her heart.

John Bauer is a South African ceramicist with work in two national museums, who shows internationally. John's an inventor and material engineer, who currently tiles buildings in kaleidoscopic matchbox tiles, each one unique. John is inept at many things, however, his catastrophes are fertile ground for artworks forging new frontiers.

Rachel Saunders is a multidisciplinary artist and designer from the West Coast of Canada currently working with clay as her primary medium. Rachel places value on simplicity, functionality, sustainability, playfulness, and connection. Rachel's work aims to highlight the inherent beauty of natural materials through self-taught technique and design.

Every location has its own history, culture and community inherently marked by human experience. Luke Fuller reflects upon a notion of place which is forged through industrialization and our dependence on raw materials. Luke's work explores the complex layers of our society and infrastructure, in order to critique and understand the context in which we live. Using clay and other materials as a vehicle, Luke expresses his perceptions of landscape and the ambiguous relationship between humans and the natural environment. Luke manifests his thoughts and concerns through processes of construction and the physicality of making. Luke graduated from the Royal College of Art in 2020 (he was awarded the Charlotte Fraser Scholarship for outstanding work). Since he completed his BA at the University of Brighton in 2018, Luke has won a number of prestigious prizes and bursaries, including New Designer of the Year at the Business Design Centre, and the Nagoya University of Art Grand Prize. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at the British Ceramics Biennial, Masterpiece London, and FOG Design+Art in San Francisco.

Ian "Ox" McColl "discovered" clay when he was 15 to 16 years old at school and was hooked after his first try at using the wheel. Ox went to university at Bendigo in Victoria, Australia. After graduating Ox went into pottery straight away as thrower. For a few years Ox worked in the pottery industry and became a teacher in high schools since 1995. In June 2021 Ox resigned and has been back running his own pottery where he is now full time potter. Recently Ox bought an old gas station and has spent 2020 renovating it where he is now running classes and has a gallery.

Forman Pottery is the accidental business of ceramicist John-Michael Forman. Since 2010 John-Michael has been crafting functional stoneware in the foothills of Southern Appalachia. John-Michael and his wife, Hannah live in Chattanooga, TN with their sons, Eli, Peter, and Abe.

David Andersen is a ceramicist who has a a preference towards hand building and even more specifically building ceramic spheres. Earth, water, fire, and air are the foundation of David's handbuilt ceramic spheres which are intricately formed, carved, and glazed.

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.