Ceramics Monthly Articles (Simple)

Meg Beaudoin had been working for 20 years as a psychologist and psychoanalyst when she took a ceramics class and immediately felt a connection with clay. After many more classes and workshops and a s

After moving frequently, both early in life and for his job, Graeme Anderson visited rural Lightning Ridge in New South Wales, Australia. Feeling a connection, he moved there permanently and started m

After setting up shop in industrial spaces in Minneapolis, Minnesota, then moving back to the East Coast and building kilns on friends’ properties so he could keep making work, Trevor Youngberg now ha

Group firings bring together potters to share in the labor and rewards of the kiln. As a guest, maximize the amount of work you can fit into another artist’s firing with these smart and considerate ti

Richard Rowland emphasizes the collaborative nature of working with clay with each project he takes on, from making mugs for cancer patients finished with treatment to creating a two-ton, wood-fired m

Images from Current and Upcoming Exhibitions

Unless you don’t fire the clay objects you make, at some point you have to decide what type of surface work best with your ideas. Kiln type and access are often major factors when artists develop a co

When throwing numerous open forms off the hump, the possibility of deformation is greatest at the moment of cutting the piece off the wheel and transferring it to a ware board to dry. To minimize this

After a long career in manufacturing, while making pots on the side, Monte Young moved from Minneapolis, Minnesota, to Jasper, Indiana, to be closer to family. The move also gave him the opportunity

Engaging asylum seekers and refugees in hands-on workshops, Julie Nelson led the creation of over 200 ceramic birds. The project has culminated in exhibitions of the birds, as well as research into th

deadlines for exhibitions, fairs, and festivals.

Jen Allen, Monte Young, and Alex Zablocki share a few of the glaze and kiln wash recipes they use when making their work.

When did you last change your elements? What exactly was that glaze combination you tested a while ago? Keep up with what goes on inside your kiln by maintaining a thorough kiln log.

Bentonite is an amazing material, adding plasticity to clay bodies, greatly improving glaze suspension, and helping glazes harden. Properly adding it to a mix of materials can be very tricky. Learn ho

Alex Zablocki casts liquid glaze in soft-brick molds to create solid chunks of fired glaze, which he then saws, sands, and combines with other ceramic elements into sculptures that explore glaze as fo

An exhibition of large-scale ceramic sculpture by Torbjørn Kvasbø and Marit Tingleff as well as textiles by Kari Dyrdal was recently on view in an exhibition at the Sørlandets Kunstmuseum in Kristians

Edith Garcia explores the origins and continued success of the collectives Studio Manifold in London, England, and Kansas City Urban Potters in Kansas City, Missouri.

After Curt Hammerly saw an exhibition of collaborative work, he was inspired to try it out in his own studio practice. He and Eric Heerspink, who both use slip-casting techniques, created a series of

Two artists with a shared love of making narrative work teamed up in life and in the studio. Their in-progress dialog is as rich as the stories that the finished pieces convey.

Jen Allen has been interested in making art with other people since she was an undergraduate student. Her recent creative partners include ceramic artists, woodcarvers, and jewelers alike.