Posted on June 28th, 2011
The term “Modern Nomadic Potter” has been floating around for a while now, but I just realized that I am one of them. A somewhat new and ever-growing phenomenon, potters today seem to be untethering themselves from location, often bouncing from job to job, residency to residency, all over the country or even the world for years, perhaps decades during the establishment of their professional careers. I have recently reached the threshold, when people ask me where I’m from it feels like a trick question – I don’t know what answer they are looking for.
Read More
Posted on April 12th, 2011
In an effort to keep people up to date on my new blog posts, new work, exhibition schedule, and workshop schedules, I decided to make email the new method. If you are interested, please join up. I won’t share your info, and I will only send emails when I’ve got something important to say. Thanks!
Sign up here
Posted on February 19th, 2011
I have decided, once again, that my clay recipe is in need of some improvement. As I write this, I am amidst the long and involved process of retooling my clay body recipe for optimal results. It has been a couple years since I mixed my own clay and find myself eager to return to it. While not a total overhaul, I hope to make my clay recipe a bit cleaner burning, whiter, smoother, more vitreous, and less pyroplastic, while expanding it’s workable temprature range.
Read More
Posted on October 7th, 2010
If you make things out of clay, chances are you’ve seen and used some pretty atrocious kiln shelves. Almost every kiln shelf I’ve seen has the same cracked, chipped, falling off, 5 layers deep kilnwash moonscape on it that threatens to ruin whatever is fired on top of or even underneath it. Especially with the vitreous porcelain I use, it is critical that the surface I fire on be perfectly flat and decently smooth. To this end, I have been researching and perfecting my kiln wash recipe so that it will stay on the kiln shelf, never crack, and apply very smoothly. Here’s what I’ve learned…
Read More
Posted on February 15th, 2010
“As much as things change, they stay the same” couldn’t have been said better by my former teacher and now friend Randy Becker. A tour of my first studio last weekend brought back a rush of memories as the room itself remains uncannily familiar, essentially unchanged in the 12 years since I left. I am just returning from a trip up to Wisconsin to set up a solo exhibition at my old high school and thought I would share some images and a little bit of a background story about my initiation into the ceramic world.
Read More
Posted on January 3rd, 2010
A couple months back, I was fortunate enough to be featured in Ceramic Monthly’s first installment of their “Studio Visit” section. Since then, I have been getting a steady stream of inquiries about my homemade tile bat system, so I thought I would share a detailed explanation of it for all to see.
Read More
Posted on September 13th, 2009
I have been trying to really refine my teapot form lately. It is a very nice challenge to work around. For me, even though it is unlikely anyone would have the courage to actually use it, it must perform exceptionally well. I use the requirements of physics to direct my choices. The venturi effect spout shape, a 45 degree angle for drip prevention, a spout tip slightly higher than the interior lip of the body, a handle pulled in close to the body, and a handle-based lid latch are all part of the design. Read More
Posted on September 12th, 2009
I have been tracking the building of our new Manabigama Kiln here at the University of Louisville. In Part One I discussed the basics design and some of the process of building. In Part Two I explained the building of an arch. Those were the first two weeks, with Todd Burns, Reese Salmon and myself primarily working 12 hour days, 6 days a week. Other students came in occasionally, and although we could definitely have used more help, the kiln would never have gotten done without them. Read More
Posted on August 15th, 2009
Since the last article, our new urban wood kiln construction project at the University of Louisville has jumped some major hurdles, but continues with the steady and careful work of Todd and a small crew of our students.
Read More
Posted on July 31st, 2009
I am currently on a hiatus from making work. That does not by any stretch of the imagination mean that I am not very busy. The current project is the construction of a new wood kiln at the University of Louisville, where I teach. After more than month of planning and some very in depth investigations, Todd Burns decided that for our program, the Manabigama design would be the best choice. I agreed. Read More
« Older Entries
