Ceramics Monthly Articles (Simple)

  • 2020 Emerging Artist: Casey Whittier
    Rolling, dipping, pinching, squishing—you name it. Each work requires something different of me as a maker, and I stay open to that. I work from a question or feeling first and try to marry it with a
  • 2020 Emerging Artist: Andy Bissonnette
    All of my forms start on the wheel. Throwing is what initially attracted me to making pottery and it continues to be one of the more fulfilling parts of my process. It may appear that the lines and pa
  • 2020 Emerging Artist: Guy Van Leemput
    Thin coils of porcelain are modelled piece by piece with a wooden stick on a balloon. I start at the bottom of the bowl and slowly work toward the top edge. Sometimes I draw the pattern I want to foll
  • 2020 Emerging Artist: Kelsey Bowen
    I come up with the forms by fabricating a story. I’ll start with a single strong emotion or a memory that weighs persistently on my thoughts. I work to build a narrative that plays on these ideas, cho
  • 2020 Emerging Artist: Jackie Head
    I love how everything is constantly changing. People continue to find innovative ways to challenge themselves and their studio practices. I once had an undergraduate professor, Tim Mather, remind me t
  • Ceramics Monthly Emerging Artists 2020
    This year we had over 300 submissions to the annual Emerging Artist competition from artists around the world. The 20 artists chosen as this year’s finalists skillfully use a variety of techniques to
  • Studio Visit: Lockbridge Pottery: Jeff and Donna Diehl, Meadow Bridge, West Virginia
    In 1980, Jeff and Donna Diehl bought an abandoned two-room schoolhouse and transformed the building into an ideal live/work space for two artists. Since then, several additions, including a kiln room,
  • Quick Tip: Inventory Organization
    Then I started making stuff and realized I had to store it somewhere. I’ll fast forward and get to the solution. This tip is not for high-volume output nor large pieces of work, but works best for a h
  • Exposure: May 2020
    Images from current and upcoming exhibitions.
  • From the Editor: May 2020
    First, I want to say that I hope everyone is safe and healthy, and that the same is true of your loved ones. The entire staff is thinking of all of our fellow members of the ceramics community during
  • Clay Culture: We Owe it to the River
    The Cahokia represented one of the most social and political peoples of prehistoric North America. It is through their pots that we learn how these early people lived and thrived on the fertile land n
  • Spotlight: Ongoing Exploration
    Janvier and Gustaf Miller reflect on their decades-long careers working in clay, sculpture, and painting, from longevity to shifts in focus.
  • Call for Entries: April 2020
    Information on submitting work for exhibitions, fairs, and festivals.
  • Summer Workshops 2020
    Dedicate some time this summer to learning new techniques and interacting with other artists at a workshop. We’ve gathered information on opportunities all over the US and abroad in this annual guide.
  • Recipes: Glaze and Slip for Wood Firing
    Lisa York and Trevor Youngberg share recipes that they use on their wood-fired vessels.
  • Tips and Tools: Standing Test Tiles
    A slotted firebrick for firing flat test tiles and a wooden rack for handling them outside the kiln function in tandem to keep glaze tests organized in this potter’s studio.
  • Techno File: Microcrystalline Glazes
    You may know about crystalline glazes, but are you aware of microcrystalline glazes? These consist of smaller crystals with subtle changes in surface color and texture. And, the best thing is they don
  • Carly Slade’s Oeuvre: Monuments to Everyday People
    Foundational experiences from Carly Slade’s upbringing in a blue-collar family that valued hand work pervade her sculptures, which focus on vehicles and architecture in working-class communities.
  • Downdraft Kiln Conversion
    A combination of lost access to gas kilns due to a studio closure and limited funds led Boris Robinson to build a DIY downdraft gas kiln using an old electric kiln. He shares the process and final des
  • Triple Glazing: Acknowledging Inspiration and Chasing the Image
    Struck by the complexity of a cup given as a gift, Dick Lehman packed it away lest it influence him too much, and eventually lost track of it. The image he recalls of this vessel, however, has evolved