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Denise Joyal, Chris Landers, Lisa York, Tim Sherman | Episode 413

At this year’s NCECA Pittsburgh I sat down with a group of potters that had put on a room show to talk about what it was like to put on a room show. Now a room show is not part of NCECA, but it is a side thing that happens during NCECA in a hotel room. So that was going to be the point of the conversation. As we got into this we ended up spending a significant amount of time talking about what it is like being a part of the woodfire pottery community. The participants were Denise Joyal, Chris Landers, Lisa York, and Tim Sherman.

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Because of all the magic that happens in the kiln, how much to you depend on that to make your work pop as apposed to making sure your form is nailed first?

Chis Landers: I really think it is all about form. The surface is definitely beautiful but if you put a beautiful surface on a poorly constructed pot, it is still a poorly constructed pot. I really believe form comes first.

Denise Joyal: I have to agree with Chris, its form first. I do a lot of surface decoration on my pieces and I actually do a really precise detailed mishima carving and inlay on my pieces, so I rely on the surface to kind of obscure some of that. For me I want to do that and let the atmosphere to kind of create the final effect on the piece. I think if it was exactly as I put it in I would be really bored by it. It is exciting to see it change.

Lisa York: I definitely would say mine are form focused and sometimes I feel a little silly that my forms are so complex with so much surface decoration. So usually tell my students, either the form is complex and the glaze is simple or the vis versa, and mine is complex form and surface a wee bit.

Tim Sherman: For me the whole process is about building layers throughout the firing and the first layer is the form, the pot. So if you screw that up you are kind of shooting yourself in the foot before you even get started. So I really break a lot of pots that I am not happy with before they even get a chance to get fired. If they get fired they are going to be around much longer than me. So the form is hugely important, to get that first.

There is a quote that says you are a composite of your 5 closest friends. How important is to you to have great potters around you to up your personal game?

Tim Sherman: That’s tough, I will tell you that the people that fire me the most wouldn’t accept me being lazy which is huge. So if I wait until last minute to get something done I hear about it. So it is really helpful for me to have people pushing me and in turn I am pushing them to put out the best work that they can.

Lisa York: I just think I was lucky to live in the Maryland area there is a hub of a lot of really talented people and really awesome people. Now I just moved to Savannah and I have been making new connections. I reach out on social media and stay connected there too.

Denise Joyal: I think it is critical to surround yourself with people who can give you feedback on your work with opinions you respect. I think if you work in a vacuum then your work is never going to progress. You get feedback from people that you are close with and from there you are able to continue to improve your work.

Chis Landers: Chris? I feel extremely fortunate there has been a community that has assembled itself around me or I have integrated into a community of amazing people. I feel the pots that people make are somehow a reflection of themselves and I feel like I have the best people surrounding me and therefore the pots are right along there with it.

Who is your muse? Who makes you think?

Chis Landers: I really enjoy the Unzickaer brothers. I am constantly looking at their work on social media.

Denise Joyal: I am going to say Julia Galloway, I absolutely love her forms  they are very elegant and her surfaces, she juxtaposes very detailed inlay illustration with some really runny glazes.

Lisa York: I am not picking just one. I am going to say Kevin Crowe and Katherine White. They were a huge influence early on. It is not so much that my work looks like theirs but it is their outlook on life that I admire. You should take a class by Kevin Crowe, he is amazing.

Tim Sherman: Jack Troy has always been a huge influence on me and his thoughtfulness about what he does and why he does it, and he is never making for some body else, it is always for himself. I really aspire to do the same thing.

Contact:

Denise Joyal Info:

kilnjoy.com

Instagram: @kilnjoy

Chris Landers Info:

ohnchristopherlanders.carbonmade.com

Instagram: @theclaycoop

Lisa York Info:

lisayorkarts.com

Instagram: @LisaYorkArts

Tim Sherman Info:

shermanceramics.com

Instagram: @shermanceramics