Anja talks through what it looks like to be a production potter. Part of the work is just putting the head down and getting the work done regardless of feelings. She also talks about how to balance creativity and “selling out” and how there is a real way to look at that “conflict”. This is a real life look at making it all happen. To listen in to this bonisode by clicking HERE.
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Anja Bartels | Episode 532
Originally from Hamburg, Germany, stencil artist Anja Bartels discovered pottery making while living in an intentional community in Virginia. Passion ignited, Anja returned home to study in the German Ceramics Guild, which honed her skills in a way much different from the typical experience in American art schools. With a strong focus on craftsmanship and technical skill, Guild training provided Anja with the groundwork for making a quality product paired with the practical experience of working with a master potter for three years. The apprentices must engage in all aspects of the business, including marketing, sales, accounting, and production.
Anja’s nautically themed porcelain employs several different techniques including slip trailing, sgraffito (a technique where underglaze is painted onto greenware and a design is carved back through, revealing the clay body underneath), poured and sprayed glazes, and a unique resist technique used in the making of her beautiful urchin bowls. These bowls are thrown and trimmed on the wheel, then several thousand small slip-trailed spikes are applied using a surgical bulb while she listens to audiobooks about shipwrecks. Anja’s personal aesthetic and process are consistent and highly developed, reflecting her upbringing in a port town and her love of ships and the ocean. It is as if her pieces were born in the sea.
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Sharrel Paul | Episode 531
Sharrel Paul was born and raised in a suburb of Boston, MA, but moved to California in her mid-20s. Sharrel decided to move back home in 2013 when she was diagnosed with stage 3/4 metastatic melanoma. Sharrel discovered ceramics in 2014 when she decided to take a class at a local studio as a form of “art therapy” while she was undergoing treatment. Sharrel fell in love with making functional pieces very quickly and then started her journey on Instagram to be able to sell her work and crocheted items.
One of the things that so many people are trying to figure out is how do you grow your Instagram followers. Granted, growing the number of followers is just one piece of the puzzle, but it is definitely a piece that is critical. Sharrel gives some insights on her Instagrowth. To check out this 17th Patreon installment, click HERE.
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Benedicte & Jerome Leclere | Episode 530
Benedicte and Jerome Leclere recently left Brooklyn to find a better life balance and spend more time making ceramics. Relocating upstate New York near Woodstock, they just launched their brand called l’Impatience. Both originally from France and always on the look out for new objects to create, the name refers to the eagerness and expectation behind every project (pronounced ‘Lum-puh-see-unce’’). Their style is mainly defined by their tableware collections, elegant and minimalistic, that people can simply appreciate every day. They also enjoy making unique pieces such as vases and bonsai pots, a jewelry collection or even limited clothing items.
When I see the definition of Marketing, I don’t find myself inspired. Even though it is something that I really want to do well and figure out. But, if when I talk to people that are doing it and rocking it, I get highly inspired and start to think that I can do it. This is what it is like talking to Benedicte and Jerome- I feel like I can do marketing. They have some great insights to share in this bonisode. To listen in to this conversation, click HERE.
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Jerm Wright, Jack Butler, & Gage Clisby | Episode 529
Jerm Wright, Jack Butler, Gage Clisby (and Paul Blais on the Skype screen!)
We get a real treat in this interview! We head into the classroom of Jerm Wright and spend time with the teacher, and two of his students, Jack Butler and Gage Clisby. This is a great insight into the high school classroom and what the ceramic program is like. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I enjoyed it.
Mr. Wright
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Andrew Linderman | Episode 528
Andrew Linderman is a studio potter and former high school chemistry teacher. Originally from the Twin Cities, Andrew currently living and working in Milwaukee, WI. Andrew makes functional pots to make the best moments in life better, to make the mundane moments more enjoyable, and to make the difficult moments more bearable. Andrew uses his background in chemistry to create glazes that are enhanced by the firing process in which he produces his pots. Recently, Andrew has also explored how the wood-firing process affects the surfaces of his pots. Andrew continually strives to create work in which the functionality of a piece is enhanced by its aesthetic and tactile qualities. Andrew graduated from Luther College (Decorah, IA) in 2012 with a Bachelor of Arts in Chemistry. Andrew has learned his art and craft primarily from George Lowe during his undergraduate studies, S.C. Rolf post-graduation and wood firing from Simon Levin.. Linderman also teaches classes at Cream City Clay in Milwaukee, WI.
How do you do your budgeting? What tools do you use? Do you ever get outside help? Andrew jumps into this topic and gives use his perspective. To listen in to Andrew’s thoughts on this, click HERE.Continue reading
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Matt Fiske | Episode 527
Matt Fiske’s work explores the intersection of material, science, and ceramic firing process. Experimentation is an important aspect of Matt’s studio practice, and focuses on manipulating common materials using uncommon firing conditions. Matt is inspired by the natural phenomena that occur in mineralogy and geology. In Matt’s mind’s eye, glaciers give way to icy celadon glazes, volcanoes ooze magma as glazes cascade down curves and roll off edges, crystals grow when conditions are conducive. Daily life, too, plays an important role in what Matt makes and why. The needs of the kitchen are for Matt, like many potters, a useful starting point for conceiving specific forms. Matt also draws from historical Asian ceramics as well as my experiences living in China and Korea. In the end, Matt strives to synthesize complex glazes and surfaces with objects that are as useful as they are beautiful.
