Ceramics Monthly Articles (Simple)

I think of “Color” as the album and each piece I make is a song. Each piece is distinct on its own, one-of-a-kind, but they can all pair together and be recognized as one body of work, made by the artist.

Makers are fundamental in culture because they create valuable connections and challenge our perspectives. As a maker, I strive to create pieces capable of initiating conversations promoting bee-loving landscapes and sustainable gardening practices.

The truth and the most important thing to remember in my opinion is that every form is a collection of smaller forms, molded together to create one cohesive work of art.

Trying one new thing can lead to several new ideas or even a new body of work. The end goal is to keep having fun making objects that bring hope to a seemingly hopeless world.

I often have the pleasure of talking to people about my pots, but the true delight is when I see them touch the work and have a surprising experience.

At first glance, my works could be seen to be alien from ceramic tradition, though my experimentations are rooted in a deep knowledge of material and amplifications of usual ceramic processes.

Slip casting successfully brings about a form with flawless sides and well-defined edges in a timely manner. This meant that I could dedicate precious time to deform them and to bring in a genuinely personal and more fluid identity.

My ceramic work is a love letter to the community of women who have come before me and sit alongside me: resourceful, skilled, creative, and imperfect.

I believe that the slip-casting technique is the best way of expressing both my tendencies and my outlook on the world as a ceramic designer.

I believe that being a maker means more than just the tangible things we create; it is written in our hearts as artists to be the protectors and defenders of beauty.

I’ve always had this attitude that if I want something to happen, I need to make it happen. So, when there is something in the studio that I am not particularly good at, I do it over and over and over again.

Ceramics Monthly Emerging Artist Eric Ordway uses the recipes below in various combinations to achieve surfaces with depth and dimension on his wood-fired functional pottery.

I have always wondered about what more there is; can I dig deeper and further my knowledge? Ceramics, and specifically soda firing, has offered me a thrilling and endless space of potential and mystery to work in, fulfilling this wonder.

Form and surface develop in tandem with each other, evolving my aesthetic proclivities through practical necessity. I slip cast my work, modeling the forms in clay with ribs and templates before producing molds.

My forms have a decorative, artistic dimension. I’m not keen on always making the same shapes over and over again. I like to try a variety of forms.

I use clay as a canvas for my illustrations, and my forms are often dictated by the imagery I want to paint.

There’s an extra level of excitement surrounding the May issue, which features the finalists of Ceramics Monthly’s annual Emerging Artist contest.

Working at Vostok, a shared studio in a historical textile building, has given Akane Saijo the opportunity to work in a creative environment close to home, make connections, and be stimulated by the city surroundings.

One of the biggest things ceramic artists want to avoid most is changing elements. It often eats a couple hours and costs a couple hundred bucks. Take a deep dive into element science and learn how to make your elements last longer.