Ceramics Critique: Two Potters Discuss Characteristics of a Great Pot Simon Levin and Steven Rolf

Ceramics critiques are a necessary, though sometimes dreaded, part of becoming a successful ceramic artist. Even if you are not in a formal educational setting, informal critiques with peers at a community center can serve a very important role in your development as an artist. Learning the art of self critique is very important too. It may be hard to put your finger on why some pots just work better than others, but developing the skill of looking closely and articulating what works and what doesn’t is something every ceramic artist should master. If you know what to look for in other pots it will help you work toward those qualities in your own.

Simon Levin and Steven Rolf have been making, looking at, and talking about pots for a long time and these years of analysis and study are evident in the incredible pots they make. Simon and Steve are also old friends and just enjoy talking about pots with each other, so when we were filming their upcoming instructional videos (due out in 2018), we decided to film a conversation between the two of them about some of the amazing pots in their collections, as well as their own pots. We do a lot of instructional videos, but think there is a need for this type of “ceramics critique” video too! Today, I am presenting an excerpt from Talking Clay: Perspectives on a Passion, to give you a sampling of this new video type! –Jennifer Poellot Harnetty, editor

PS. Like what you see? Download the whole conversation from the Ceramic Arts Network Shop, or subscribe to CLAYflicks to see this and all the other videos in the Ceramic Arts Network Collection!

Simon Levin and Steve Rolf Critique a Pot!

This clip was excerpted from Talking Clay: Perspectives on a Passion, which is available in the Ceramic Arts Network Shop!

**First published in 2017.