I’m in the process of teaching myself some new techniques in the studio. In the course of doing that, I’ve made a lot of tests and have had my fair share of failures, which I’ve been slowly drying with the intent to fire—a failure is still a test worth firing, right? However, recently, I took my own advice to create the things you wish existed, and nothing more and recycled those clay bits. If our desire to make work is based on the experience of creating beautiful objects (at least it is for many of us), then our critical eye needs to start its work before we close up our kilns.
It’s challenging to move past making for the purpose of firing a kiln filled with objects. But sometimes we need to let making art be what it is, a process worth practicing. To focus on the experience and pleasure that can come from making things with your hands, and attempt to disconnect ourselves from how many things we are making, how perfect they need to be, and how much they need to impress others.
A few years ago, Ceramics Monthly published an article by Richard Boehnke (“Sustainability in Ceramics,” April 2023), where he makes the case, “By shifting the focus of learning ceramic techniques from the number of objects made to practicing process and developing a critical eye, your clay studio can become less wasteful.” Boehnke makes the analogy that musicians don’t save all their practice sessions and then play those sessions for audiences. When you think of it that way, it helps one reframe the idea of practice. Simply because clay is a physical material and music is sound that vanishes doesn’t make its practice any different. This approach gives us the tools to define success beyond the quantity of work produced.
While Boehnke’s focus is on sustainability and teaching, it is his notion of reframing our studio practice that I find compelling. How do we approach our time in the studio, and what do we want to achieve from it? If we take the time to ask that question more often, we may find ourselves more fulfilled when making, and discover what we fire has more worth.
The artists featured in this issue are also reframing their time in the studio to create functional objects outside the traditional utilitarian cup, bowl, and plate, and designing items to complement our tables, homes, and daily lives. Renee Tsai inlays colored clay to construct wall mirrors (1), Autumn Higgins carves double-walled luminaries, Taylor Mezo handbuilds plant propagators (2), Rachel Donner throws pin plates (think ceramic pin cushions), Sumi von Dassow gives us three ideas for bird feeders, and Keith Simpson uses his time in the studio as playtime for developing an eye for making candlesticks (3). Additionally, Pottery Illustrated offers suggestions for creating your own drawer pulls. Happy making, and recycling!
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I’m in the process of teaching myself some new techniques in the studio. In the course of doing that, I’ve made a lot of tests and have had my fair share of failures, which I’ve been slowly drying with the intent to fire—a failure is still a test worth firing, right? However, recently, I took my own advice to create the things you wish existed, and nothing more and recycled those clay bits. If our desire to make work is based on the experience of creating beautiful objects (at least it is for many of us), then our critical eye needs to start its work before we close up our kilns.
It’s challenging to move past making for the purpose of firing a kiln filled with objects. But sometimes we need to let making art be what it is, a process worth practicing. To focus on the experience and pleasure that can come from making things with your hands, and attempt to disconnect ourselves from how many things we are making, how perfect they need to be, and how much they need to impress others.
A few years ago, Ceramics Monthly published an article by Richard Boehnke (“Sustainability in Ceramics,” April 2023), where he makes the case, “By shifting the focus of learning ceramic techniques from the number of objects made to practicing process and developing a critical eye, your clay studio can become less wasteful.” Boehnke makes the analogy that musicians don’t save all their practice sessions and then play those sessions for audiences. When you think of it that way, it helps one reframe the idea of practice. Simply because clay is a physical material and music is sound that vanishes doesn’t make its practice any different. This approach gives us the tools to define success beyond the quantity of work produced.
While Boehnke’s focus is on sustainability and teaching, it is his notion of reframing our studio practice that I find compelling. How do we approach our time in the studio, and what do we want to achieve from it? If we take the time to ask that question more often, we may find ourselves more fulfilled when making, and discover what we fire has more worth.
The artists featured in this issue are also reframing their time in the studio to create functional objects outside the traditional utilitarian cup, bowl, and plate, and designing items to complement our tables, homes, and daily lives. Renee Tsai inlays colored clay to construct wall mirrors (1), Autumn Higgins carves double-walled luminaries, Taylor Mezo handbuilds plant propagators (2), Rachel Donner throws pin plates (think ceramic pin cushions), Sumi von Dassow gives us three ideas for bird feeders, and Keith Simpson uses his time in the studio as playtime for developing an eye for making candlesticks (3). Additionally, Pottery Illustrated offers suggestions for creating your own drawer pulls. Happy making, and recycling!
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