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Michael Sherrill | Episode 1078
Hurricane Helene was devastating for so many people. Many potters were hit very hard with the storm. Mudtools, founded by Michael Sherrill, was hit so hard that their building was swept away as the waters rose. In todays episode, Michael tells his story of the storm.
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Tamara Solem Alissa | Episode 1077
Tamara “Solem” Al-Issa is a Syrian/Filipina Toronto-based sculptural artist with a focus on conveying preservation of time. Solem’s work pulls from memories of the architecture and practices within SWANA and Southeast Asia through exploring familiar shapes, colours and textures from these regions. The Deep Blue series presents hand-built traditional shapes in a custom mixed cobalt blue which is a colour that evokes a familiar sense of nostalgia and wistfulness. In the SWANA region, the colour blue (particularly turquoise) is known to have mystical and protective qualities.
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Karen Dance | Episode 1075
Peacefully working from her home studio on Vancouver Island, Karen Dance pursues her desire to create out-of-the-ordinary pottery pieces. Karen is inspired by the human form, natural movement, expressive features, and all the wonders found in nature. With over 35 years as an artist in many mediums, it was the melding of Karen’s education at CMU Creature design and prosthetics along with Ceramics training at Sheridan college that led her on this path of exploration.
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Michael Bridges | Episode 1075
Michael Bridges is a potter living in Chicago, Illinois. Michael is a hand builder that identifies as a wheel thrower. Skulls, jack-o-lanterns, and spookiness are right at home in Michael’s work.
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Dennis Blatchley | Episode 1074
Dennis Blatchley is a ceramic artist living and making in Cornwall, United Kingdom. Dennis makes a wide range of slipcast terracotta tableware with a distinct matt finish. Dennis’ work comes in a choice of colours, that can be ‘mixed and matched’ to create a variety of exciting colour combinations.
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Sarah Chatawanich | Episode 1073
Sarah Chatawanich has been a working artist for over 20 years within a wide range of disciplines. Sarah’s current work focuses on the Japanese art of nerikomi. Sarah mixes stains with porcelain to create colored clays, which are then layered into blocks and sliced through to reveal unique patterns. Sarah’s pieces are sanded at various stages and polished to create smooth, vibrantly colored surfaces.
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Samuel Newman | Episode 1072
Samuel Newman, founder of Suay Ceramics, is a Portland-based potter who draws inspiration from his Pennsylvania roots and the values of community and craftsmanship. Samuel’s dynamic forms and atmospheric firings capture the creative journey, offering functional wares that foster meaningful connection and introspection through shared daily experiences.
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Maria Loram | Episode 1071
Maria Loram is a ceramic artist, born in Russia, and is now based in California. Art has been Maria’s lifelong companion, and despite a detour into linguistics at Moscow State University and a subsequent move to LA, she has now built a career in private tutoring. Maria’s core fascination with art’s power to explore and understand the world remained dormant yet undiminished. The turning point came with a divorce, which serendipitously guided Maria back to art, Eastern philosophies, and meditation practice. In 2022, a pottery wheel from Facebook marked the rebirth of her artistic journey through the medium of ceramics. Diving into classes and workshops led by renowned ceramicists like Tortus and Moondobang, Maria has embraced the endless possibilities of shape, texture, and color.
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Don Katz | Episode 1070
Don Katz is a blind potter based in Los Angeles, California. Don became blind due to bacterial meningitis in 2001. After waking up from a month-long coma he had to relearn to walk and feed himself and adjust to his sightless reality. What began as an introductory pottery course at The Braille Institute of Los Angeles, has now become Katz’s obsession. Don’s ceramics teacher once told him as he struggled on the wheel that “you are stronger than dirt,” words he lives by today. Don appreciates feeling the clay take shape on the potter’s wheel and how the touch informs the form. He enjoys creating unique handmade functional and decorative ceramic objects.
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Brenton Duhan | Episode 1069
Brenton Duhan grew up between North Carolina and Kandern, Germany–home to two distinct and rich pottery traditions. Brenton studied at Brown University and RISD in Providence, practiced museum exhibit design in DC, and gave tours and made ceramics in New Orleans before moving to New Haven, Connecticut. Brenton is currently maintaining a ceramic practice while studying architecture at Yale University.
