Greg Daly is a master of the luster genre using a reduction kiln to create rich surfaces that depict the Australian landscape. In our interview we talk about how subtle differences in reduction affect luster surfaces, teaching as an act of problem solving, and why collecting other artists work has been important to his development. Greg has had ove…

Michelle Im uses low-fire tin glaze to make both vibrant patterned pottery and figurative sculpture. In our interview we talk about her approach and technique for majolica, developing her RatxChicks brand, and her portrayal of familial identity in her sculptural work. You can read more about Michelle in my book The Complete Guide to Low-Fire Glazes…

Sunshine Cobb returns to talk about her new role as resident coordinator at the Archie Bray Foundation. In the interview we talk about how shifts in a residency structure can create equity and opportunity, as well as how residents find financial stability as the cost of living is increasing post-COVID. This year’s Bray residency application deadlin…

Priscilla Dobler Dzul and Corinna Cowles were both residents at the Archie Bray Foundation this summer. In our interview we talk about their current bodies of work and their experience at the Bray. Corinna Cowles is based in Philadelphia, PA and Priscilla Dobler Dzul splits time between Washington state and Mexico. This year’s Bray residency applic…

Bill Wilkey fires his geometric forms in a soda atmosphere that exposes and softens their textured edges. In this week’s interview we talk about his mind-blowing experience visiting Brunelesschi’s Dome, the impact his Archie Bray residency had on his career, and starting a life in Helena, MT with his family. www.wilkeyarts.com. This interview is th…

Malene Barnett returns for an interview about her new book Crafted Kinship: Inside the Creative Practice of Contemporary Black Caribbean Makers. In our interview we talk about Black cultural memory, her process for interviewing and building an archive of Caribbean artists, and the influence of Caribbean material culture around the world. The book w…

Today we have the final installment of our series about student loans with an episode featuring Liz Noonan and Christian Bailey. They share their experience dealing with fluctuating payments, managing debt as a family, and the ups and downs of loan forgiveness. Liz is a studio artist in Boxborough, MA. Christian is a artist and educator in Gulfport…

Today we continue our series on student loans with a conversation featuring Cammi Climaco and Jen Mecca. They share their experience with long-term management of loan payments, the effect loans have on family relationships, and student loan forgiveness. Cammi is a NYC based artist and podcast host of The Ceramics Companion. Jen is an artist and edu…

After years of talking with people about their education, I thought it was time to address student loans head on. Today I talk with Betsy Mayotte, who over the past three decades has worked with hundreds of borrowers in her role as president of The Institute of Student Loan Advisors. In our interview we talk about the factors driving up the cost of…

Celia Feldberg decorates her pots with vibrant sgraffito drawings of animals in human situations. With a light-hearted touch she talks about relationship dynamics and highlights the small beauty in every day life. In our interview we talk about refining her drawing style on clay, depicting love in all its forms, and being a resident artist at The C…

Christy Culp’s terra cotta pots are decorated with blue berries, carrots, and other motifs that come from her western Pennsylvania farm. In our interview we talk about her decades long career as a high school ceramics teacher, building a dream studio out of a late 1800’s barn that was on the farm, and how her yoga practice supports her ceramic prac…

Camille Dungy is an award-winning poet, writer, and host of the podcast Immaterial: 5,000 Years of Art, One Material at a Time from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In our interview we talk about Immaterial and their approach to art and story telling. We also talk about her passion for gardening, and her most recent book Soil: The Story of a Black M…

Christi Ruffin is an avid collector of ceramics, and by that, I mean she is obsessed. I recently got to visit her home in Charlotte, NC and hold many of the pieces that make up her collection of over 3,000 pots. In our interview we talk about forming relationships with artists, insuring and documenting a ceramic collection, and how the pandemic hel…

Yoshi Fuji spends hours carving intricate patterns drawn from kimono and Japanese wrapping paper on each of his forms. In our interview we talk about his approach to pattern and his relationship with Baltimore Clayworks, where he has been a resident, instructor, and now Director of Exhibitions. Yoshi Fuji Ceramics Baltimore Clayworks Today’s episod…

Rebecca and Scott Proctor formed Nom Ceramics in 2019 after years of working in the same studio. Their functional and sculptural collaborations are glazed with layers of patterns that melt together in their soda kiln firings. In our interview we talk about their path to collaboration, their method for building surfaces, and how they balance parenti…

John Born is an artist working in sculpture and drawing based in New York City. In his recent show at Curatorial and Co. in Sydney he showed a series of his signature composite forms made from stacked ceramic shapes. In our interview we talk about his start in ceramics, the role improvisation plays in his sculpture, and the series of portals he mad…

Ashlyn Pope is a ceramic and fiber artist of Gullah descent who describes her work as representing “restriction and limitation of the Black body throughout American history, and the hope and vision to realize a different future.” In our interview we talk about integrating woven elements into ceramic vessels, educating through art, and her recent fi…

Rhonda Willers uses functional pottery, sculptural vessels, and installation to focus on ideas of fragility and the passage of time. In our interview we talk about her 2019 installation Alone Together, her work in ceramics, and her book Terra Sigillata: Contemporary Techniques. We also discuss her philosophy of service work and her podcast The Arti…

Nick Lenker draws from video games to make ceramic sculptures that seem to have jumped right out of a pixelated computer screen into real life. In our interview we talk about his process of building with slabs before applying custom decals, investigating memory through subject matter, and how Philadelphia has shaped his creative life. www.nicklenke…

Lisa Orr started working with low-fire ceramics decades ago, moving through majolica before developing a unique psychedelic color palette. In our interview we talk about matching thermal expansion of clay and glaze, side stacking glaze wares, and developing aventurine glazes. www.lisaorr.com Lisa is one of many artists featured in my upcoming book …

Kathleen Clark is an award-winning photographer, whose career includes numerous exhibitions and serving as Photo Director for Los Angeles magazine and LA Weekly. Her series The White House China, depicts historical events from each American president presented on their formal state dinnerware. In our interview we talk about her inclusion in The Gir…

Today on the show I’m joined by Brian Kakas and Lisa Giuliani for a discussion about the changing landscape of ceramic education. In the interview we talk about demographic shifts and closures in higher education, craft school education, and helping an arts community survive after a core institution downsizes its ceramics program. This episode was …

Stephanie Seguin is a functional potter based in Helena, MT, where she makes table and service ware. She is also the education manager at the Archie Bray Foundation where she has helped shape the education program as the organization has emerged from the pandemic. In our interview we talk about tactile learning, developing parameters for creativity…

Judi Tavill has had a broad career in the arts starting in fashion and now creating biomorphic ceramic sculpture. In our interview we talk about her career in fashion, blending drawing with sculpture, and preparing for her upcoming solo show at the Ivy Brown Gallery. Entanglements will open May 16th and run through June 26th. For more information v…

Today on the show I talk with Brian Chen. He makes sculptural and functional forms that reference architecture and biomechanics. In our interview we talk about how a tennis injury led him to study anatomy, creating sculptures that nest within themselves, and refining a form through repetition. To see examples of his work visit www.brianchenpottery.…

Join guest host Malene Barnett as she talks with Lydia Thompson, Ashlyn Pope, and David Macdonald about the rich tapestry of ceramics across the Black Diaspora. From the ancestral lands of Africa, to the vibrant Caribbean and the diverse cultures of African Americans, join the panel as they explore the artistic expressions and design aesthetics tha…

Today on the show I talk with Malene Barnett. Her multimedia career spans design, studio art, and activism focusing on the influence and aesthetics of the black diaspora. In our interview we talk about designing textiles, taking a sabbatical to dive deep into ceramics, and founding the Black Artists + Designers Guild, a collective aimed at building…

Today on the show I talk with Jane Bamford. She creates ceramic sculptures and environmental prosthesis that are placed in nature to help rebalance the Australian ecosystem. In our interview we talk about the pressure climate change is putting on the Tasmanian landscape, working with scientists to create environmental design, and how her motivation…

Today on the show I talk with sculptor Cammie Staros. From her studio in L.A. she blends Helenic aesthetics with modernism in her ceramic, neon, and stone work. Her series of black figure terracotta vessels move and bend like a wavy mirage from ancient Athens captured in the present moment. In our interview we talk about the influence of classical …

Today on the show I talk with artist and Plinth gallery owner Jonathan Kaplan. Over more than fifty years in ceramics he has worked as a studio potter, manufacturer of commercial ceramics, and gallery owner. In our interview we talk about investing in yourself, knowing when change is needed to avoid burnout, and how Kaplan approaches geometric form…

Today on the show I talk with artist and educator Lauren Sandler. In her current body of work she drapes stacked vessels with beads, beans, and other objects to tell broader economic and cultural narratives. In our interview we talk about her anthropological approach to materials, adornment through accumulation, and mentoring students at the Tyler …

Today on the show I talk with author, activist, and artist Yuliya Makliuk. She recently published Potters Save the World: Learn to make sustainable ceramics and help protect the Earth. Our interview focuses on understanding the carbon footprint of ceramic production and materials. In addition to sustainability, we also discuss Yuliya’s experience l…

Today on the show I talk with three members of Clay Matters, an Australian group that advocates sustainable environmental practices in ceramic studios. Jane Sawyer, Claire Ellis, and Amelia Black talk about reusing ceramic waste and building awareness of where ceramics materials are sourced. Clay Matters will have an exhibition at the Linden Projec…

Today on the show my wife Melissa joins me for a listener mailbag. We give a few life updates before answering questions about how to price time consuming work, and ways we can create joy in difficult times. To help us celebrate our 500th episode donate $5 on Paypal, or become a patron on Patreon. Many thanks for listening along the way and for sup…

Today on the show we have a live recording that happened at the 2023 New Clay Conference in Ottawa, ON. The show features presenters Martina Lantin, Zoe Pinnell, Marina Lespérance Lopez, as well as my cohosts Carole Epp and Marianne Chenard from The Kiln Sitters. We discuss the high-risk high-reward nature of ceramics, finding work/life balance as…

Didem Mert combines collage and illustration to build dense layers of printed images, patterns, and color. In our interview we talk about the importance of spontaneous play in the studio, diversifying income streams, and using selfcare to find emotional balance. To see examples of her work visit www.didemmert.com. Today’s episode is brought to you …

Today on the show I have a double episode. We start by talking to podcast host Rebecca Ickes Carra about joining the Brickyard Podcast Network. Her podcast The Makers Playbook focuses on the business of art and “what it’s really like to make a living from the things we make.” Season five of the podcast launches next week with an interview with Arch…

Today on the show I talk with Kyungmin Park. In our interview we talk about how an early interest in animation led her to figure sculpture, how she approaches identity through the work, and settling down in Massachusetts after moving fifteen times in the eighteen years she has lived in the United States. Park is an Associate Professor at Endicott C…

Today on the show I talk with Brad Schwieger. He has recently retired from Ohio University, where he helped guide the ceramic program for over thirty years. In our interview we talk about creating a rigorous learning environment, using subtractive methods to find form, and transitioning to full time studio work in retirement. In the interview we al…

Today on the show I talk with Matt Katz, who along with his wife Rose, is one of the co-founders of Ceramics Materials Workshop. They offer online classes in ceramics chemistry, which are utilized by artists and students around the world. In our interview we talk about his path from maker to researcher, how to make chemistry exciting for students, …

Today on the show I talk with sculptor Kim Dickey. She uses the structures and flora of the garden as a springboard to create large-scale sculpture and installation. In our interview we talk about her use of brocage, the feminist claiming of space through ornamentation, and her recent solo show Auguries at the Robischon Gallery in Denver, CO. To se…

Today on the show I welcome back Doug Peltzman. A few years ago he made a major shift in his studio practice, essentializing his approach to surface design to create a new aesthetic. In our interview we talk about following the kernel of an idea, and re-engaging his customers after a major change in the studio. To see examples of his work visit www…

Today on the show I welcome back Naomi Dalglish and Michael Hunt. In our interview we talk about the themes in their exhibition Endless Ground now on display at the Penland Gallery. The exhibition features figure sculpture, a large-scale slip painting, and collections of vessels that are decorated with slips and wax resist decoration. To see the ex…

Today on the show I talk with Trevor Daugherty and Justin Rothshank, cofounders of the Northern Indiana Clay Alliance. The group has over sixty members and organizes a variety of ceramics programing in the region, including the Michiana Pottery Tour. In our interview we talk about the process of founding a nonprofit, ceramics in the Michiana region…

Today on the show I talk with Dirk Staschke. His recent work draws from Dutch Vanitas paintings, often incorporating ceramic frames that are portals into the inner world of the sculpture. In our interview we talk about exploring dark humor and beauty simultaneously, and having the patience for new ideas to solidify over time. To see examples of his…

Today on the show I talk with Jonathan Christensen Caballero. He pays homage to local Latino histories through his mixed media sculptures. In our interview we talk about his interest in local history, the practical aspects of showing large scale sculptures, and his blend of fibers and ceramics. For more information visit www.jcc-sculpture.com. Toda…

Today on the show I talk with Haakon Lenzi. A life-long New Yorker, Haakon makes slipware pots from his studio in East Harlem. In our interview we talk about marbleizing slip on the surface of a pot, sustaining a career in the city, and the value of community building through sales and tours. Haakon has participated in the Hudson Valley Pottery tou…

Today on the show I talk with Catherine White. Her wood fired vessels incorporate firing patterns from her anagama kiln and text from poetry that she monoprints with ash onto the pot’s surfaces. In our interview we talk about her triumvirate of painting, pottery, and movement, as well as, learning the geography of a wood kiln. To see examples of he…

Today on the show I talk with Bryan Hopkins. You probably know him from his exquisite porcelain vessels, but you might not have guessed some of those forms are made from low-fire porcelain. In our interview we talk about formulating low-fire translucent porcelains and how he uses a neodymium grate magnet to create speck free clay bodies. To see exa…

Today on the show I talk with Alex Thullen. In his role as ceramic materials engineer at Pewabic Pottery he maintains their line of glazes, including iridescent lusters. In our interview we talk about the mechanics of luster, how the timing of reduction effects glazes, and how his work continues research that dates back to the early 1900’s when Mar…