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Jonathan Walberg | Episode 1093
Jonathan Walberg’s techniques and methods are influenced by his apprenticeship at St. John’s Pottery in Minnesota (2004-06) under Richard Bresnahan, studies in Karatsu, Japan (2006-10) and in Ulsan, Korea (2010). These experiences nurtured a love of clay, the use of local materials, clay history, and wood-kilns. Jonathan creates on a Japanese-style wooden kick wheel and processes local clays and ashes for pottery use just south of Bayfield in Washburn, WI. Jonathan uses beach-sand from the South Shores of Lake Superior mixed into porcelain. This creates random black spots from the iron-rich sand. The local clay is also iron-rich and is mixed into the clay or glaze creating rich dark greens, reds, browns and blacks. Jonathan makes traditional ash-glazes from local Maple and Oak trees.
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How do you balance being true to yourself and faithful to your customers?
Well I think me wanting to be a maker, I love making, and finding things that customers enjoy using things that I make is rewarding in its own way. I think creating the variety of work, things that I enjoy making and the things I know that will sell. That’s kind of the bread and butter. My favorite thing to make would be mugs not only because they are my best seller but also I love the interaction the customer has with the mug.
Making pottery can be isolating. Do you see the introvert and extrovert parts of you both need to be fed?
Exactly. I am a good balance of both aspects of introvert and extrovert. I love my alone time but I love that customer interaction time. I know that it’s not for everybody. When I go to shows I am hyper interactive with customers. I love it.
How do you budget for your year as a full time potter?
Being self employed every waking moment that I have to be either making pots or with my family. If I am not with my family I should be making pots. And I struggle with the work-life balance. Mainly because I love what I do.
As a business owner do you keep track of all your expenses for tax purposes?
Certainly. I think for tax purposes it’s a little difficult because a lot of my work is sweat equity and tears and a lot of elbow grease. When you are not buying a lot of materials you don’t have a whole lot of expenses as far as materials are concerned. But you’ve spent months preparing your ash glaze or days screening your clay. And that doesn’t have a dollar amount attached to it.
Is it realistic for young artists to become full-time artists or a full-time potter?
Yeah. People say that this generation will not be as well off as the previous but I think the standard of living has increased so much that it’s hard to see the forest through the trees. My parents grew up with one vehicle and one phone that was attached to the wall. Nowadays our modern conveniences cause us to live with such high standards. Higher standards than my parents ever had. I think it’s all really relative.
What advice would you give to a young potter who wants to become a full-time potter?
Grab every opportunity you have to experience life within that world. Be it to visit a firing, to travel and visit potters, try to grab onto real life situations and experiences that either help you network or just create life experiences that will benefit you in the future.
Book
The Unknown Craftsman by Soetsu Yanagi
Contact
lakesuperiorpottery.square.site
Instagram: @jonathanwalburg