Tales of a Red Clay Rambler: A pottery and ceramic art podcast

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Justin Rothshank. Working from his home studio in Goshen, IN Justin has been making functional pottery and experimenting with low-temperature firing techniques for many years. He recently published his first full-length book Low Fire Soda, which outlines his experimentation and development of atmospheric-fired earthenware. In our interview we talk about the advantages of switching to low temperature firing, the dynamics of a good soda firing clay, and his recent project A Year of Shared Intention, which mixes shared mindfulness with artmaking. To see examples of his work or to purchase the book visit www.rothshank.com.

On today’s AMACO Community Corkboard we have the application deadline for the The Clay Studio National. This biannual juried exhibition showcases the depth and breadth of the ceramic art field in the United States. This year's guest juror is Lauren Sandler, Assistant Professor and Program Head of Ceramics at Tyler School of Art, Temple University. The entry has been waived this year and artists should apply by May 25. For more information visit www.theclaystudio.org/apply. I’d like to thank Amaco/Brent for sponsoring the community corkboard. Brent Equipment is celebrating their 50th Anniversary this year and have created a Limited Edition Black CXC wheel. For more information visit www.amaco.com.

The podcast is funded through the generous support of listeners like you. Visit www.patreon.com/redclayrambler or www.talesofaredclayrambler.com/donate to make a donation.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Kate Johnston. She uses local materials to make highly decorated pots that are fired in a wood kiln outside of Seagrove, NC. Her work is boldly patterned with botanical imagery drawn from art deco design. In our interview we talk about developing design rules to guide one’s work in the studio, the romance of NC pottery traditions, techniques for making large pots, and the benefits of competition and cooperation in a tight-knit pottery community like Seagrove. To see examples of her work visit www.katejohnstonpottery.com. You can also find out more about Kate’s newly opened studio and gallery at www.thetrianglestudio.com.

On today’s AMACO Community Corkboard we have the Craft Emergency Relief Fund. CERF+ was started by artists for artists in the craft community as a grassroots mutual aid effort in 1985 and has since emerged as the leading nonprofit organization that uniquely focuses on safeguarding artists’ livelihoods. To find out more about emergency relief, career protection tools and other resources visit www.cerfplus.org.

I want to give a shout out to KC Clay Guild for sponsoring this episode of the podcast. KC Clay Guild has been supporting ceramic artists and providing a space to work in Kansas City, Missouri since 1988. I encourage you to apply for the 11th Annual KC Clay Guild Teabowl National before their June 26th deadline. Sam Chung is this year’s juror and prizes include purchase and equipment awards, as well as gift certificates totaling over $1000. Find out more and apply today at www.kcclayguild.org/apply.

The podcast is funded through the generous support of listeners like you. Visit www.patreon.com/redclayrambler or www.talesofaredclayrambler.com/donate to make a donation.

Athens, GA area potter Carter Gillies passed away a few weeks ago. After discovering his blog in the early 2010’s I started to think of him as our potter philosopher. He wrote about both the everyday and extraordinary aspects of an artist's life often leaving nuggets of wisdom for his readers. This episode is a rearing of our 2014 interview where we talk about Carter's background in philosophy, his theory about the five stages of learning, and how selling online changes the way artists take risks in their studio. You can find more about his work and read through the archive of his blog at www.cartergilliespottery.wordpress.com.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Louise Rosenfield. After many years as a ceramics maker she turned to collecting functional pottery, and now has one of the premier collections in the United States. In the interview we talk about how to make a content-rich functional object, building a collection, and how we can encourage new buyers to collect ceramics. To see images of the Rosenfield Collection visit www.rosenfieldcollection.com.

This episode is the third installment of the Arrowmont-week series, recorded at UC7 held in Gaitlinburg, TN in the fall of 2016. Part of the campus was recently destroyed by wildfires that burned large portions of Gatlinburg. To donate to the school’s rebuild fund please visit www.arrowmont.org/support. Every day this week I’ll release a new UC7 themed interview so check back tomorrow for a new episode.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler I have a live taping of the podcast featuring Matt Metz, Bob Briscoe, Dan Finnegan and Richard Aerni. Our wide-ranging discussion focuses on the invitational show/tour model for which multiple artists come together to attract a larger buying audience. Shows of this nature originated with The Old Church Pottery Invitational in 1975 and have grown to include more than a dozen events spread across the country. This discussion was taped in front of a live audience at the Genessee Center for the Arts in Rochester, NY.

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by THINK BIG, a six-week e-course that covers practical skills for growing your small business. Molly Hatch and I had such a positive response from our last class that we are now offering Think BIG and Think BIG 2 at the same time! If you missed out on the opportunity to take one of these in the past you can now sign up for either session, or take both simultaneously. The next session starts January 5th so sign up today. To find more information please visit www.carterpottery.com/thinkbig.