Daniel Rivera
Left Side Ceramics
Simpsonville, South Carolina
Email
Website
Instagram
@leftsideceramics
Artist Statement
As a United States Marine Corps Veteran, my work in ceramics is deeply rooted in discipline, transformation, and resilience. The clay becomes a metaphor for both the human spirit and the military experience—shaped under pressure, hardened by fire, yet still capable of beauty and vulnerability. I use traditional handbuilding and wheel-throwing techniques to create pieces that speak to the dualities of my life: structure and fluidity, control and surrender, violence and healing. Each vessel, sculpture, or form is a reflection of memory, identity, and the unseen impacts of service. My time in the military instilled a reverence for process, precision, and purpose. In the studio, I channel that same mindset into every step—kneading, shaping, carving, and glazing. But unlike the rigidity of military life, ceramics allows for a different kind of freedom: to explore trauma, reclaim personal narrative, and reconnect with a sense of humanity.
Studio Description
Small batch pottery studio
What type of clay do you use?
Seattle Pottery Supply Seamix 6, Kentucky Mudworks White Bear
What temperature do you fire to?
Cone 6
What is your primary forming method?
Wheel Throwing
What is your favorite surface treatment?
Mid-fire glazes and underglazes
What one word would you use to describe your work?
Colorful
What is your favorite thing about your studio?
Therapeutic release for a Veteren with PTSD
What is the one thing in your studio you can’t live without?
Pottery wheel
What are your top three studio wishes?
Advancer kiln shelves, pug mill, and more storage space.
What’s on your current reading list?
Dungeon Crawler Carl, Boy in a China Shop by Keith Brymer Jones
How do you save money on materials and supplies?
Recycling clay, picking up from a supply store instead of paying high shipping prices.
How do you recharge creatively?
I enjoy spending time in nature for inspiration.
Do you have any DIY tips for studio efficiency?
Recycle your clay and practice your forms.
What challenges have you given yourself to overcome?
I have challenged myself with trying new-untraditional forms and making my own glaze recipes.
What did your first piece look like?
It was a small bowl I made on the pottery wheel with self-drying clay.
What ceramic superpower would you have and why?
The power to generate unlimited clay.
What area of skill do you most look to other artists to learn?
Glazing and wheel-throwing techniques.
Who is your ceramic art mentor and why?
I do not have one I personally know, but I enjoy learning from videos posted by Florian Gadsby and Eric Landon.
What is on your studio playlist?
Deftones and Incubus
Why do you create art?
As a mental and physical expression geared toward improving myself.
Who is your favorite artist and what do you admire about that artist?
Eric Landon. I enjoy his large forms, his glaze finishes and seeing him save a thrown vase from collapsing.
What is your best studio tip?
Do not be afraid to try a new technique or glazing application.
If you could change one property of clay, what would it be?
To make it less harmful and no risk of silicosis.
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