Tales of a Red Clay Rambler: A pottery and ceramic art podcast

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Mary Cale Wilson. Through her multifaceted art practice, which includes sculpture, vessel making, and painting, Wilson explores ideas of womanhood and labor. In our interview we talk about using art to reconcile personal privilege, developing a personal iconography, and the ideas behind her installation Betrayal at Ebenezer....

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have an interview with Brooks Oliver. His refined ceramic vessels draw from the sleek aesthetics of design while maintaining the scale and proportions of handmade studio ceramics. In our interview we talk about using the 3d printer as a prototyping tool, developing a personal sense of color, and the growth of the Dallas Pottery Invitational. For...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have an interview with Ann Shaner. Along with her husband David Shaner, she was instrumental in the success of the Archie Bray Foundation during the late 1960's. In our interview we talk about teaching 35 years in the public schools, her time at the Archie Bray Foundation, and moving to Big Fork, MT, where she and David raised their four kids. T...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have an interview with Shalene Valenzuela. Her slip cast sculptures feature underglaze paintings of women in domestic situations. In our interview we talk about the influence of mid-century advertising and film, creating humorous visual narratives that question women's perception of themselves in our society, and balancing her studio life with h...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have an interview with Audry Deal-McEver and Jenn Cole. Both are studio potters making heavily patterned work in the greater Nashville, TN area. In the interview we talk about the fine line between appropriation and inspiration when referencing the patterns of other cultures, working in galleries, and developing confidence in the value of your o...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have an interview with Danielle McDaniel. In 1982 she started teaching in the public schools of middle Tennessee focusing on short ceramic workshops that encourage creativity and confidence in children. As demand for her workshops grew, she developed "The Clay Lady Way," an education program for teachers that includes videos, books, and ceramic...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have an interview with Josh Deweese. His undulating functional forms are embellished with curvilineal handles and decorated with fluid high-fire glazes. In our interview we talk about the influence of his artistic family, developing a leadership style, and using local materials to enhance his glazes. Josh was the Resident Director of the Archie...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have an interview with Mallory Wetherell. Her ceramic vessels are decorated with crisp drawings of symbolic elements, such as hair, internal organs, and clothing, which create a biographical sketch of her daily life. In our interview we talk about teaching in a rural environment, how an early interest in prosthetic design and medical drawing sha...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have an interview with Chris Staley and Kyle Johns. Both were artists-in-residence for the month of May at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, MT. During the month Staley was making a new body of sculptural vessels and Johns continued his exploration of keyless mold systems for slip cast vessels. In our interview we talk about suspending judge...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have an interview with Joanna Powell. Her work spans many genres including ceramic sculpture, painting, and photography. In our interview we talk about her visual editing process, women's beautification rituals, and the themes within her recent exhibition, "Lay me in a hot bed and try not to drown." The show is up at Greenwich House Pottery's Ja...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have an interview with Nick Danielson. After an early interest in conceptual sculpture, Nick has been solely focused on making functional pottery for the last eight years. His work is an aesthetic blend of Korean Buncheong ware, color from contemporary graphic design, and the angular nature of computer aided drafting (CAD), which he uses to desi...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have an interview with Chip Clawson. In recent years he has been focused on making sculptural forms that are cast from concrete and adorned with ceramic embellishments. His piece, "Ode to Edward James," features multiple twenty-foot columns that are bisected by horizontal cloud-like forms. In our interview we talk about planning large-scale scul...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have an interview with Diane Charnov, this year's Jentel Critic at the Archie Bray Foundation. After an early career as a political speech writer Diane has been focused for the last decade on art criticism and journalism. In our interview we talk about shifting between persuasive writing and journalism, funny moments from speeches gone awry, and...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have an audio tour of the Archie Bray Foundation with Chip Clawson. Chip worked for the organization for over 35 years and has compiled much of its history from its inception as the Western Clay Manufacturing Company in the 1880's to the ceramic arts foundation that exists today. On our tour we visit the former brick and tile factories, as well...

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Perry Haas. He builds softly undulating vessels that are designed to pick up the fly ash that floats through the wood kilns he fires. His recent work is made with a speckled clay body that obscures the silhouette of the forms, blending the exterior and interior spaces into the same visual plane. In our interview we talk abou...

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with David Peters. While studying at Utah State University, David discovered a passion for using "wild" ceramic materials to make functional pottery. For the past twelve years he has focused on developing clay and glaze formulas from ceramic materials dug in the mountains of Central Montana. In our interview we talk about the geo...

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Steven Young Lee. Growing up in Chicago the son of immigrant Korean parents, Steve turned to pop culture as a touchstone for belonging. His current body of work blends contemporary and historical references on ceramic vessels, including a recently completed large-scale plate installation. In our interview we talk about early...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have an interview with Giselle Hicks. Her minimalist vessels combine simple glazes with refined forms to highlight the process marks of her coil-building process. After reading Elaine Scarry's  On Beauty and Being Just,  Hicks has embraced the decorative function of her work, focusing on a quest for personal beauty. In our interview we talk abou...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have an interview with Scott Barnim. Based in Dundas, Ontario, Barnim has been a potter for over 40 years. In his early career he made traditional salt ware pottery, but later became interested in surface decoration after doing a master's degree at the University of Wales. His studio production now includes highly decorated stoneware, low fire r...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have a panel discussion with members of the Hamilton Potters Guild. Emma Smith, Greg Voison, Melissa Schooley and Scott Barnim talk about their experience being potters in the Ontario region and the benefits of being in a guild. We also talk about building a wood kiln on a land lease property, following trends versus "selling out" your aesthetic...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have an interview with Paul Briggs. During his multifaceted career Paul has been a professor, minister, and artist. While in the ministry he became engaged with social justice work, which influenced his recent body of work "Cell Personae." The collection of sculptures deals with the effect mass incarceration has on black lives. In the interview...

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview that Kate Fisher conducted with ceramic artist Mikey Walsh in 2014. The interview is part of Fisher's interactive project, "Both Artist and Mother", which addresses the issues working mothers face as they navigate their lives. In the interview they talk about dealing with the "shouldness" of time management and advice for women w...

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Kate Fisher. Her recent body of functional pottery draws from a visual analysis of her domestic landscape, including kid's toys, tools and other familial paraphernalia. In the interview we talk about the parallels between endurance sports and potting, the types of support working mothers need to be active in their studios, a...

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have a live episode featuring Amanda Salov, Iva Haas, Seth Charles, and Amanda Bury. The panel share their experience being resident artists and developing a career in ceramics. In the interview we also talk about how to write a successful application, managing long distance relationships with friends and family, and what makes a good residency. T...

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have the final episode of a miniseries featuring current resident artists at the Archie Bray Foundation. In this episode Stuart Gair, Kyle Johns, and Kelly Stevenson talk about transitioning to full time studio work after graduate school, pushing themselves to take risks in the studio, and the value of working at the Archie Bray Foundation. To see...