Rachel Yvonne Recker
Salish Sea Ceramic Studio
Everett, Washington
Website
Salishseaceramicstudio@gmail.com
salishseaceramicstudio
salishseaceramicstudio
Artist Statement
Rachel Recker is an artist based in Everett, Washington, whose work is inspired by the Pacific Northwest. By layering clay and glazes within her pottery work, she creates textures to invoke similar emotions to being in nature. She feels her pottery is like seashells from the ether, each one unique and plucked out of the tides of energy currents. Rachel draws recognizable imagery from nostalgic and modern pop culture—images with which the viewer may have their own experiences—creating a dialogue of shared experience growing up in modern America, and the ever changing context with which we live.
Studio Description
Salish Sea Ceramic Studio was started in 2021 by Rachel Recker and is a teaching environment with series classes, studio memberships, and studio assistants. The studio boasts an open floor plan and a flood of natural light with two walls of floor to ceiling windows. The views on the busy corner of Hewitt and Marine View Drive leave us all entertained while we create. The studio accommodates thirteen wheels, two slab rollers, two Skutt kilns, thirteen studio glazes, and one Raku kiln setting us up for creative success. We look forward to the potential to expand in the future, allowing us to create a studio gallery and retail area, office space, and slip-cast shop.
What type of clay do you use?
A variety. Midrange temp clays. I like the clay when it is recycled best.
What temperature do you fire to?
Bisque: Cone 05. Glaze: Cone 5
What is your primary forming method?
wheel throwing, handbuilding, and slip-cast molds
What is your favorite surface treatment?
Sgraffito and colored slips
Do you make any of your own tools?
No, but a friend does. He makes branded ribs and tool sets for the studio.
What one word would you use to describe your work?
Pretty
What is your favorite thing about your studio?
I am the boss.
What is the one thing in your studio you can’t live without?
My dogs, Daisy and Trulove
What are your top three studio wishes?
A large sign out front, a designated retail area, and office space.
What’s on your current reading list?
The Book Thief, and Tarot Mysteries Revealed. Along with technical painting and ceramic books.
How do you save money on materials and supplies?
Use what you have to create instead of wanting to buy more. Recycling clay and glazes as much as possible, along with student education.
How do you recharge creatively?
Going on trips to rock climb and camp. Plein air watercolor painting. A good nights sleep
Do you have any DIY tips for studio efficiency?
A 5-gallon bucket of water by each wheel to act as a preliminary sink. Lots of signs.
What challenges have you given yourself to overcome?
Self funding the studio and getting my art out there. I did not major in Ceramics or business, although took 18 credits at Maryland Institute College of Art in '04–'07. So I have been learning through doing and from mentors over the past 15 years.
What did your first piece look like?
Short ,dumpy mug with a to big handle and spattered glaze.
What ceramic superpower would you have and why?
Powering the kilns with my mind. The kilns always seem to have something up with them.
What area of skill do you most look to other artists to learn?
Technical throwing skills, high-level glazing. Currently, I need to learn more about glaze chemistry and Raku.
Who is your ceramic art mentor and why?
Jamil Scheriff is a production potter, who is a member, and I have learned a lot about form from him, including collaborating on larger Fine Art Vases. Curtis Yu is my ceramic studio mentor who has a studio in Seattle that I learned at.
What is on your studio playlist?
Odessa, The last Goodbye. I love making playlists. You can follow me on Spotify at Rachel Recker I have 40+ playlists.
Why do you create art?
If you knew my Natal Chart you would see why I make art. It is how I communicate, and I am pretty sure I am fulfilling a karmic destiny.
Who is your favorite artist and what do you admire about that artist?
Andrew Wyeth. His images are sublime. Realistic, but abstract. Multiple mediums and always playing with light and details.
What is your best studio tip?
Set boundaries and good habits. With yourself and others.
If you could change one property of clay, what would it be?
Clay is perfect the way it is. Maybe if it could hum when it was happy though, that would be cool.
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