Talking Terra Sig | Rhonda Willers | Episode 533

Posted on by

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Rhonda Willers | Episode 533

terra sigillata surface filled with raw grolleg kaolin, photo credit: Jessie Ann Wade

Focusing on fragility and subtle strength, Rhonda Willers creates art with repetitive forms and markings reflecting on memories and nature through diverse materiality. Rhonda is the author of Terra Sigillata: Contemporary Techniques. Rhonda studied at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls (BFA) and University of Nebraska-Lincoln (MFA). Rhonda is a studio artist, author, mother, and NCECA Board Steward located in Elk Mound, Wisconsin.

Echo I, coil built earthenware, terra sigillata, cone 03 soda fired, photo credit: Larry Gawel

Continue reading→

Writing a Book with Rhonda Willers

Posted on by

Many people have that desire of writing a book, but what is that process like? Rhonda Willers walks us through the process of how to pick the topic and what steps she took to complete the book. I love that the glamour of writing a book is taken away through this discussion and she just gets practical and lets us know what she did. If you would like to listen in to this bonisode, then click HERE.

Continue reading→

Being a Production Potter with Anja Bartels

Posted on by

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.

Continue reading→

A German Journeyman Potter | Anja Bartels | Episode 532

Posted on by

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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.

Continue reading→

From Cancer to Clay | Sharrel Paul | Episode 531

Posted on by

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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.

Continue reading→

Makers & Marketers | Benedicte & Jerome Leclere | Episode 530

Posted on by

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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.

Continue reading→

Going Deeper with Marketing with Benedicte & Jerome Leclere

Posted on by

mar·ket·ing
/ˈmärkədiNG/
noun
  1. the action or business of promoting and selling products or services, including market research and advertising.
    “the Western arts of marketing and distribution”

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.

Continue reading→

A Classroom Visit: The Teacher and Teachees | Jerm Wright, Jack Butler, & Gage Clisby | Episode 529

Posted on by

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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

Continue reading→

The Teacher That Quit to Become a Full-Time Potter | Andrew Linderman | Episode 528

Posted on by

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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.

Continue reading→