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

Today on the show we have the first in a two-part interview with renowned ceramic artist and educator Linda Sikora. We talk about growing up in Canada, her path to being a potter, and how the concepts of service, storage, and display shaped her recent exhibition Darkening Ground at Ferrin Contemporary. Linda has been teaching at Alfred University since 1997 and has been an integral part of educati...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have the final installment of a mini-series featuring current artists-in-residence at the Archie Bray Foundation. In this episode I talk with Janina Myronova about the narratives and characters that are the foundation of her vibrant figure sculptures. We also talk about the influence of Ukrainian folk traditions, making large scale single-fired w...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have an interview with Maura Wright. Her recent exhibition Midwest Sweat at the Jane Hartsook Gallery in NYC, takes a humorous and critical look at feminine self-care products and rituals. In our interview we talk about working in many aesthetic directions at the same time and blending gallery work with studio pursuits. Wright is a current long-...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Simphiwe Mbunyuza. Through his large-scale sculptures, he references the landscape of the eastern cape region of South Africa where he grew up. In our interview we talk about his early art experiences, coming to the states for an MFA, and developing potent references to Xhosa culture in his sculpture. Mbunyuza is a long-ter...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have an interview with Heidi Fahrenbacher. She runs Bella Joy Pottery in Plainwell, MI making multiple lines of functional pottery. In our interview we talk about her circuitous path to being a maker and how working the show circuit influenced her formula for pricing. To see examples of her work visit www.bellajoypottery.com . (Content note: Gri...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have an interview with Rosti Eismont. For decades he was an art director and graphic designer for major magazines, including over thirty years at Studio Potter . Parallel to his career in print he worked as a potter and painter from his studio in Richmond, New Hampshire. In our interview we talk about his childhood as a refugee, his approach to...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have an interview with Pete Pinnell. Pinnell is a long-time ceramic artist who has engaged the community through his numerous articles for Clay Times and his work as a professor at the University of Nebraska. In recent years he has focused on teapots, developing both high- and low-fire collections of his signature refined forms. In our interview...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have an interview with Anat Shiftan. Her sculptures incorporate floral elements that are precariously arranged as a metaphor for the human perception of nature and our impact on the environment. In our interview we talk about her childhood and family history, historical depictions of nature, and retiring from teaching after twenty years at SUNY...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have an interview with Philadelphia sculptor Lauren Mabry. Her minimalist sculptures are surfaced with vibrant glazes that melt to both conceal and reveal their underlying forms. In our interview we talk about expressing ideas within abstraction, her ongoing glaze research, and working with dynamic glazes like Gloop. To see her work visit www.la...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Sergei Isupov. Through his unique blend of figure sculpture and drawing he investigates the internal and external forces that shape human relationships. In our interview we talk about his approach to narrative, growing up in a family of artists, and how current events, including the war in Ukraine, affect his work. To find...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have the sixth installment in a series of interviews about parenting. For the series I invite artist couples to talk with each other about finding balance between creative work and life as a parent. Today's interview features Courtney Martin and John Geci, whose ceramic and glass studio is located near Penland, NC. If you would like to see their...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast  I have the fifth installment in a series of interviews about parenting. For the series I invited artist couples to talk with each other about finding balance between creative work and life as a parent. Today's interview features Mallory Wetherell and Matt Ziemke. The couple are based in Kearny, NE, where Mallory is the head of Ceramics at the Univ...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Rebecca Hutchinson. Her 2022 installation Re-Generation at the Everson Museum featured cocoon-like vessels that were surfaced with drawings of a rare central New York Orchids done by artist Mallory Wetherell. This work highlights environmental sustainability and hybridity, two themes that recur throughout Hutchinson's caree...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Sana Musasama. Spanning more than four decades, Sana's career has been a blend of art making, teaching, and activism. In our interview we talk about how her travels across West Africa in the 1970s set her on a path to understanding other cultures through art making. We also discuss her activism and why it is important to ma...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have a panel discussion on Taking an environmental approach to making with Marianne Chénard, Julia Galloway and Ché R. Ochtli . In our interview we talk about practical sustainability and the ways you can lessen your studio's environmental impact. Julia and Ché are members of NCECA's Green Task Force, which has many resources on this topic posted...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Robert Harrison and Danielle O'Malley. In our interview we talk about the history and goals of the NCECA Green Task Force. The group works to educate and empower artists to engage in sustainability and environmental stewardship. For more information visit www.ncecagtf.com or visit the GTF booth at this year's conference.  ...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Caroline Cheng. A noted artist and curator, Cheng has recently expanded her practice into environmental design through the Yi Design Group. The company turns recycled ceramic material from Jingdezhen into architectural products. In our interview we talk about launching a design start-up, addressing the issue of ceramic wast...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Courtney Martin. She uses resists to create strong geometric patterns on her forms. The blend of hard and soft edges is highlighted by her wood kiln, which lends the glazes a warm depth. In our interview we talk about learning pattern making from Mata Ortiz artists, hand building large forms, and expressing environmental va...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with En Iwamura. From his studio in Shigaraki, Japan he makes ceramic heads that reference traditional Haniwa tomb figures while using the aesthetics of Manga and Anime. In our interview we talk about developing his approach to cultural artifacts, essentializing the figure, and his time at the Archie Bray. For more information v...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Adero Willard. After many years as a studio potter, she has recently moved towards large scale sculptural vessels that incorporate dense overlapping patterns. In our interview we talk about matriarchal influences, how an object can hold power, and the exhibition Clay Holds Water, Water Holds Memory. Willard curated the show...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Wesley Brown. He combines thrown forms with thick slabs to make sculptures and pottery that feels monumental both in their emotion and scale. In our interview we talk about his methods of building, finding a unifying surface, and teaching at East Stroudsburg University, where he is a Fredrick Douglas Scholar. He has a show...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Kurt Anderson. His ceramics and paintings feature compositions of robots, animals, and human hybrids that are visually playful and filled with humor. In our interview we talk about color dynamics and trusting your aesthetic voice. To see examples of his work, visit @kurtandersonpottery on Instagram . To start the episode I...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Joey Quiñones. They use fibers and ceramics in their mixed-media sculpture to highlight the domestic and cultural histories of African and Caribbean Americans. In our interview we talk about their prior career as an English professor, the role of art in understanding identity, and the work they made while at the Kohler resi...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Osa Atoe. She transitioned to clay a decade ago after spending years as a musician playing in bands and documenting the punk scene. Her functional forms are decorated with geometric patterns that break under flowing matte glazes in reference to the ever-changing shoreline of the Gulf Coast of Florida, where she lives. In ou...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Lorna Meaden. From her studio in Durango, CO Lorna makes functional pottery that is decorated with geometric patterns that contrast breaking glazes over crisp incised lines. In our interview we talk about developing a local market, refining forms through repetition, and the challenge of making complicated multipart forms. T...