How to Fail Well | Britt Thorp | Episode 660

Britt Thorp | Episode 660

Born is Sioux Falls, SD, Britton Thorp is a ceramic artist and chef. He received his BFA (2008) from Ohio University and is currently a Graduate candidate at Syracuse University. In between, he was a resident artist at The University of Arkansas and Michigan State University. Britton’s current studio practice includes functional pottery, virtual design, photogrammetry and curated dining experiences.

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The Power of Local | Lillie Turner | Episode 659

Lillie Turner | Episode 659

Lillie Turner is in love with clay – not a guy named Clay, as her husband’s name is Jeremy, but clay, as in pottery clay. Lillie’s first exposure to pottery was in 2015, at a community club taking 6 nights of wheel throwing classes. Throwing on the wheel did not come easy and is still a struggle somedays to center the clay, pull up the wall, and make pieces that match in shape and size, but she does not give up easily!
The community pottery club in town allowed potters 24 hours access to the studio which was great for a newbie who was very enthusiastic. Many hours were spent at the wheel- but Lillie had a keen interest in learning all aspects of pottery, so she volunteered to load kilns, maintain kilns, which gave her great experience early on. The next big step was to learn about glazes, with the approval of the club Lillie organized a 3 day glaze workshop with John Britt from North Carolina, which was incredible, but quite advanced as Lillie had never even mixed a glaze before- but that did not intimidate her- she bought a kiln, and set up a small studio space in her garage- and started glaze testing. The more glazes Lillie made, the more she wanted to learn about glaze chemistry.  Lillie found a fantastic online workshop for cone 6 glazes taught by Matt Katz of Ceramic Materials Workshop, which is an in depth course of over 50 lessons to work through at your own pace. Lillie jokes that she is now trying to learn chemistry at the age of 41 years old- as she was homeschooled from grade 6 onwards and never took chemistry.
Lillie’s business is called My Lil Shop Canada- as she is not just a potter- she is an entrepreneur of many things, including soap making, and beekeeping which compliment pottery so well- the soap sells nicely with pottery soap dishes, and Lillie makes beeswax tea light candles for pottery candle holders, and honey pots as special gifts.  
Recently Lillie has started to focus on making serving trays and dinner plates as cooking is a huge passion of hers. In 2009 Lillie left her career in banking to go to Culinary school, as she had always wanted to learn the tricks of the trade and become a better cook, as she and her husband love good food!
 
Lillie became a full time potter April 2020 after selling a wholesale skin care company she owned for the past 7 years, and is loving doing something she is really passionate about- being creative, and making pottery for people to enjoy for many years to come! She sells most of her work through ETSY, as well as sells her work wholesale to a handful of stores in British Columbia, and one in Nova Scotia. 

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A Potter Travels Asia | Jesse Golden | Episode 658

Jesse Golden | Episode 658

Jesse Golden owns and operates J.G Clay working to create ceramics to inspire. In 2019 he left his marketing career for a 5 month ‘Ceramic Sabbatical’ where he participated in residencies, home stays, and studio visits throughout Asia. He is a maker at heart and loves to inspire his student’s creativity.

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Clay Saved Me | Chris Burch | Episode 656

Chris Burch | Episode 656

Chris Burch found clay, albeit by accident, back in the fall of 2013. Chris’s mother used to do slip casting and always referred to her work as ceramics. When Chris enrolled in Ceramics I in college, he thought that’s what he’d be doing. To his utter surprise, Chris had actually registered for a wheel throwing class. It was all over once Chris had his hands in the clay!

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An Englishman in the US | Hamish Jackson | Episode 655

Hamish Jackson | Episode 655

Hamish Jackson is a potter from England, started potting at Winchcombe Pottery in the Cotswolds. Hamish got married to his lovely American wife Lauren and moved to the states six years ago. Since then Hamish has completed a four year apprenticeship under Mark Hewitt and now is now headed off to USU for grad school.

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Instagram as a Storefront | Donna Gardner Striar | Episode 654

Donna Gardner Striar | Episode 654

Donna Gardner Stiar  fell in love with pottery at age 57 when she signed up for a wheel throwing class.  Seven years later, Donna now handbuilds and hand paints fun, happy, and whimsical pieces that focus on making people smile!

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How to Be a Good Teacher | Jim Fazio | Episode 653

Jim Fazio | Episode 653

Jim Fazio started his career as educator after graduating from Illinois State University in 2012. Jim has been teaching for the past seven years and currently teaches Ceramics at a public high school in Illinois. “Ceramic Jim” started as a YouTube channel in March of 2018. Its original purpose was to provide support and enrichment opportunities for Jim’s ceramics students but as his passion for video grew, Jim rediscovered his first love: Ceramics. Jim specialize in colored porcelain. Though not a full-time studio potter, Jim is making pots and is doing so with intent and precision and is producing quality work of which Jim is proud of.

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