Rick Hammel
Sunray Ceramic Arts
Olathe, Kansas

Email
hammeldds@gmail.com

Artist Statement
To create fun, functional, food-safe pottery that imbues the knowledge that our lives are centered about our creator and that each of us is uniquely

Studio Description
A corner of my basement

What type of clay do you use?
cone 6 B Mix

What temperature do you fire to?
cone 6

What is your primary forming method?
Wheel thrown

What is your favorite surface treatment?
Multiple layers of glaze

Do you make any of your own tools?
The most useful tool is the guide I made that enables me to throw nesting bowls each 2" smaller in diameter.

What one word would you use to describe your work?
Functional

What is your favorite thing about your studio?
In my home and able to access it at any time.

What is the one thing in your studio you can’t live without?
Excellent lighting

What are your top three studio wishes?
On the main floor with a window and enclosed so that my wife will quit yelling about the dust I bring upstairs.

What’s on your current reading list?
Ceramics Monthly, Pottery Making Illustrated, and I watch ClayFlicks.

How do you save money on materials and supplies?
Recycle a lot of clay ,and I get a student discount where I buy supplies.

How do you recharge creatively?
Clayflicks and going to Kansas City Clay Guild and observing other potters.

Do you have any DIY tips for studio efficiency?
Keep your studio clean.

What challenges have you given yourself to overcome?
Throw thinner and taller.

What did your first piece look like?
A small cylinder about the size of an 8 oz. drinking glass.

What ceramic superpower would you have and why?
To throw taller and thinner and lighter.

Who is your ceramic art mentor and why?
Renee Heyer-Starrett

What is your studio playlist?
Frankie Valie and The Four Seasons and Francis Chan.

Why do you create art?
Both of my parents were artistic and being a former dentist I enjoy working with my hands.

What is your best studio tip?
Keep the studio clean.

If you could change one property of clay, what would it be?
Not so messy!