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Victoria Rickson | Episode 1063
Victoria Rickson is a Canadian ceramic artist based in San Francisco, specializing in nerikomi. With a BFA in Photography from Parsons School of Design, Victoria transitioned to pottery post graduation, mastering the technique of colored clay as a member of community studios. Victoria’s work balances precision with spontaneity, creating one-of-a-kind, color driven pieces.
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I am curious about how you as an artist structure your day?
I have a full-time job so my day is that I wake up and I work all day and then I itch to go down to my basement to work on pottery and I do whatever task I have until 9 pm when it is time to go to bed.
Do you have a way of slowing down your making process so you are not dictated by your clay as your clay wants it to be done?
I think the process is pretty slow on its own. I work in phases. I’ll do the phase where I make the clay and then I will make the block and then on a long weekend or weekend I will say, This is my building weekend. And I will spend all weekend making cups, vases, and plates. So I can monitor all week in the evenings that it’s drying well. And then the next week I am sanding and preparing for the kiln. It’s sort of like I go through each phase when I have the time.
When you are working through problems in your work who do you tend to reach out to to get answers?
I ask my boyfriend a lot. It’s not like it’s a technical answer. I think most of my problems are composition and when it’s a technical answer I love a good google.
Are you interested in exhibitions, in showing your work in actual juried shows? Is that a thing you wish to do?
Yes, that’s my biggest next goal is to get into more official competitions and shows. I am working on pieces that are a little larger, a little more gallery focused at the moment, to work towards that goal.
Do you have shows that you are currently applying for?
Not right this second. There are maybe three or four in the last six months that I made work specifically for and then just chickened out and ended up not applying. I think I am close. I am doing the research and preparing myself mentally but I haven’t actually done the applying yet.
Is social media a struggle or a blessing for you?
So far, it’s a blessing. It’s helped me find a community. It helps me get feedback on my work when I am not showing or selling that often. I don’t mind making, a lot of what I do I make reels to share my knowledge and I think that really helps me build my community.
What is the biggest challenge of working in Nerikomi?
Patience. To expand upon that I think each step of the process takes so much focus and attention and could go wrong at so many points, that having patience with yourself, things are going to go wrong. Try again. That’s kind of key.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in Nerikomi?
It’s weirdly just some of what I just said. It’s patience. It’s understanding that the first thing you make is probably going to crack into a million pieces or you are going to hate it. It takes time to learn every step and you just kind of have to stick with it.
Book
Nerikomi Thomas Hoadly
Contact
Instagram: @swimmerstudio