Author Archive: Paul Blais

Loving Your Customers | Milla Istomina | Episode 910

Posted on by

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Milla Istomina | Episode 910

Milla Istomina was born and raised in Kazakhstan. Milla moved to the USA in 2013 and has been residing in Los Angeles, California. Milla took her first pottery class in 2018 at the Barnsdall Art Center. What started as a weekend hobby quickly turned into a monthly membership at a communal studio. Mist Ceramics was born, and experimenting with clays, techniques, glazes and styles has begun. Just like many people across the globe, Milla lost her full time job on the marketing team of an arts organization when the COVID pandemic struck. It was time to make a path for oneself and take risks, so Mist Ceramics slowly became Milla’s main project. Mist Ceramics practice explores various techniques and genres while executing the neverending battle of trained wheel thrower versus self-taught hand builder.

Continue reading→

Host of Shaping Your Pottery Podcast | Nic Torres | Episode 909

Posted on by

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Nic Torres | Episode 909

Nic Torres runs a podcast called Shaping Your Pottery to help potters to discover their unique voice. Nic has been making pottery for 5 years and he knows how hard it is to develop your unique voice in pottery. That is why it is Nic’s mission to help potters find theirs.

Continue reading→

The Right Tools | Betsy Morningstar | Episode 908

Posted on by

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Betsy Morningstar | Episode 908

Betsy Morningstar loves yellow, donuts, and her cat, Vesper. Betsy’s hobbies include making peanut butter, carrying her cat up into her loft studio, and smiling. Betsy is a full time high school art teacher near Baltimore, Maryland. Betsy started creating porcelain notebook papers out of a need to find and see importance in each day, and to communicate outside of herself in a physical way. Each porcelain paper features journal notes and fleeting moments from a day in Betsy’s life, now forever special and permanent. The notes vary on the emotional spectrum of life, but all are significant moments Betsy never wants to forget. They are Betsy’s brain and her heart in physical form.

Continue reading→

A Case For Wholesaling | Julie Spako | Episode 907

Posted on by

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Julie Spako | Episode 907

Julie Spako and I lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and twin boys. Julie started with ceramics in High School and continued to get a minor in ceramics from Syracuse University in 1995. Julie makes high fire stoneware and porcelain serving and dinnerware. Julie loves pattern and surface texture. Julie handbuilds all of her pieces. This allows Julie a freedom in form, and the ability to concentrate on the surface design.

Continue reading→

Zine For Potters | Kassandra Guzman | Episode 906

Posted on by

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Kassandra Guzman | Episode 906

KuuPottery is a small batch pottery studio and learning space created by Kassandra “Kuu” Guzman. Each piece is made on the wheel with hand sculpted handles. Most know for The Curvy Amphora and Boinggg! Handles, Kuu has been featured on Showtime with @ziwef, Design Milk and The Freye Museum Shop.

Continue reading→

Her Journey Into Slip Casting | Jennifer Spring | Episode 905

Posted on by

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Jennifer Spring | Episode 905

Jennifer Spring’s goal is to make life more enjoyable with ceramics that feel great to touch and hold. Most of Jennifer’s work goes through the filter of, “does the texture feel inviting?”. Ceramics is one of few art forms that can be held and Jennifer is continually looking for opportunities to enhance the sense of touch.

Continue reading→

A Couple Making Pots and The Thrower is Blind | Rhiannon and Paul Gash | Episode 904

Posted on by

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Rhiannon and Paul Gash | Episode 904

At Llanddona Beach Pottery Rhiannon and Paul Gash have a totally tactile and haptic studio. Rhiannon throws earthenware pots, glazed with oxide glazes that Paul and Rhiannon make together. Rhiannon is visually impaired. Guide-dog Bailey helps out around the studio.

Continue reading→

She Makes Restaurant Ware | Emilie Brichard | Episode 902

Posted on by

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Emilie Brichard | Episode 902

malo is the pottery studio of Emilie Brichard who divides her time between two French cities, Paris and Saint-Etienne. Emilie came to ceramics through her interest for tableware. When Emilie became a potter after years working as an architect, she naturally chose to focus on utilitarian ceramics, designed for an everyday use.

Continue reading→

An Arizona Potter And Professor | Jonah Fleeger | Episode 902

Posted on by

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Jonah Fleeger | Episode 902

Jonah Fleeger is an emerging ceramic artist originally from Northwest Indiana. Jonah attended a small boarding school called Verde Valley School, in Sedona, Arizona, which is where his love for ceramics first started. In 2013, Jonah received his BFA in ceramics from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Since then Jonah has completed post-baccalaureate programs at The University of Colorado Boulder and Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. In 2019, Jonah received his MFA in ceramics from the Rhode Island School of Design. Jonah was a resident artist at the Morean Center for Clay in Florida and a long-term resident artist at Cobb Mountain Art & Ecology Project in California. Currently, Jonah is creating, teaching and starting his own studio in Northern Arizona.

Continue reading→

Staying Creative In A Busy Life | Mark Myer | Episode 901

Posted on by

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Mark Myer | Episode 901

Mark Myer is a taxidermist by day and potter by morning. Mark currently works out of his basement studio creating functional work while incorporating carved patters and 3d printed stamps. Through his work Mark hopes to inspire others to stay creative in their own way, even if it means waking up an hour early.

Continue reading→