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Brian & Naomi Menkis | Episode 1209
Brian and Naomi Menkis are husband and wife potters who make wheel thrown, functional, and beautiful forms for daily enjoyment. Firing in both oxidation and wood/soda kilns they explore the receptivity of clay to the mark of the potter – from its ability to take the subtlest impression of a delicate flower to the way it records the path of a flame through the kiln.
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Are you guys making according to an inventory list that you are trying to keep up to date?
Naomi: Yes, we do have a list of things we know that we can sell, but we also kind of keep that in line with what we are really excited about, so we try and balance those two.
Brian: Yes, we are always talking about what sold at our last sale and what we should make more of based on that, but also what are we excited about.
So the finances determining what you are making, does that ever make you feel Ike you are not being authentic?
Naomi: I think we try really hard to not just follow the market if it’s not something we feel is us.
So we try and make what we really care about and find a market for that.
Brian: I think a feel a little angst about the purity of our artistic vision than Naomi does. But there’s also something so satisfying about making something that someone really wants to use and have in their home.
They’re both good things.
Have you ever made anything that nobody was interested in even though you loved to make it?
Naomi: Yes.
Brian: You mean yes for me and no for you.
Naomi: Yes. (Laughter) We did have a harder time selling the wood fire pots which can be frustrating because that’s really exciting to us. But I also love the pots we are making in the electric kiln.
Have you made pieces that made you rethink the way you think about pottery?
Naomi: We are always learning from what we are doing and it’s taking it to the next step. So I think we are making forms and surfaces now that we would have never thought of 5 years ago, but one step at a time has gotten us there.
Brian: I think I am always learning from the clay, kind of, and what it can do. I may think I like pots to have a certain looseness but then I try and throw something a bit more refined and I learn a lot and I think I make more pots in a new fashion when I discover an aspect of how the clay responds to throwing and the maker.
Book
All Creatures Great And Small by James Harriot
Salt Glazing by Phil Rogers
Contact
Instagram: @menkis_works_pottery