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 Dr. Kelli Morgan and Jennifer Zwilling. They co-curated Figuring Space, an exhibition featuring twelve contemporary artists working with the human figure. In the interview we discuss the historical use of the figure to portray power, the variety of sculptural approaches used by the featured artists, and The Clay Studio's re...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with curator Mary Savig. As the Lloyd Herman Curator of Craft at the Smithsonian's Renwick Gallery she is one of the co-curators of the 50th anniversary exhibition This Present Moment: Crafting a Better World . The bulk of the exhibition features 135 recently acquired works from women and artists of color who are expanding the c...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Chotsani Elaine Dean and donald a clark. They co-authored the new book Contemporary Black American Ceramic Artists, which profiles thirty-eight contemporary artists working in clay. The book sheds light on the contributions and experiences of African Americans who continue to shape the ceramic history of the United States....

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Dawn Candy. She often contrasts botanical motifs with geometric patterns to create depth and movement on the surfaces of her pottery. In our interview we talk about the concept of potential energy in nature and how to capture it through drawing, and the balance of making labor intensive work that remains affordable. To see...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast we have an interview with Sam Lopez. Based in San Diego, he makes porcelain pots that are decorated with blue and white patterns that melt and blur in the kiln. In our interview we talk about his family ties to Craft, finding his path in ceramics, and the joys of parenthood. To see examples of his work, visit www.slopstudios.com . It's holiday seas...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast we have a live episode that was taped as part of the Envision: Woodfire NC conference in May 2022. Mark Hewitt talks with Priscilla Mouritzen, Diego Valles, and Carla Martinez Vargas about their ceramic practice, and how they express a personal sense of place and culture within their work. Diego and Carla are part of the Mata Ortiz tradition in Chi...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I talk with Jackie Head. She creates Neo-Op Art installations that manipulate space through the interplay of color and undulating pattern. She recently finished a mixed media installation at the Indianapolis airport that stretched fourteen hundred feet and was made with 350,000 colored plastic cups. In our interview we talk about her public art pie...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I talk with Dan Finnegan. He has been making ceramics since the mid-1970's and recently had a retrospective drawing from forty years of his work at the University of Mary Washington. In our interview we talk about his early training at Winchcombe Pottery in the UK, the impact of inflation of pottery prices, and Pottery on the Hill , a ceramic invit...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I talk with Isabelle Fish. She is the founder of Rue Pigalle, an international community of women championing crafts and craftspeople. The community hosts master classes, travel events, and creative conversations for its members. In our interview we talk about her time as a gallery owner, the role of beauty in sustaining society, and the annual hol...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I talk with Patty Bilbro. She received training through the professional crafts program at Haywood Community College in the early 1990's, and has recently shifted her focus to sculptural vessels painted with geometry and the human figure. In our interview we talk about her approach to drawing the figure and how a day job supports her exploration of...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast we revisit two interviews that feature Julia Galloway. First, we have an excerpt from our 2013 interview where we discuss her career, as well as the Field Guide for Ceramic Artists , an online guide she started to help students who are venturing into the ceramic field. Then we feature an excerpt from a 2014 panel discussion with Michael Kline, Kris...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast we have an interview with British studio potter Kitty Shepherd. Her slipware vessels feature brightly colored images of pop culture. In our interview we talk about her recent tile work linking vintage lipsticks to iconic music, her duo portraits of Freddy Mercury and Queen Elizabeth, as well as her expat life living and working in Granada, Spain. H...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast we have a live episode that was taped as part of the Envision: Woodfire NC conference in May 2022. Guest host Garth Johnson talks with Joy Brown, Kate Waltman, and John Neely about their use of wood firing as an aesthetic tool, as well as a discussion on the environmental and cultural impacts of the practice.   Today's episode is brought to you by...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I talk with artist and educator Kathy King. Her graphic sgraffito-decorated ceramics often depict relationship dynamics and feminist themes. In our interview we talk about her early sculptural work around reproductive rights, how she matches images to form, and her day job running the ceramics studio at Harvard University. For more information on K...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I talk with photographer and podcast host Rebecca Ickes Carra. For more than a decade she has been a professional photographer focused on weddings and portraiture. A few years back she turned that business know-how into the podcast the Maker's Playbook , where she interviews ceramic artists and other creatives about their business. In today's inter...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I talk with Massachusetts potter Steve Theberge. His functional pots are decorated with slips that are reduction cooled to create rich earth tones. In our interview we talk about the influence of Zen monastic training and social justice work on his studio practice, as well as his educational roots in the apprenticeship system. We also discuss the n...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I talk with Takuro Shibata, a working potter and Director of STARworks Ceramics in Star, NC. In our interview we talk about settling in North Carolina after a degree in chemical engineering and a ceramic apprenticeship in Japan, and developing an aesthetic using local materials fired in a wood kiln. We also discuss his forthcoming book Wild Clay: C...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I talk with Los Angeles-based artist Alex Anderson. In our interview we discuss the ideas behind his use of mirrors, the L.A. art scene, and the relaunch of his podcast Clay in Color with Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy, which recently started its second season. For more information visit www.alexalexalexalex.com .   Today's episode is brought to you by...

Artist, writer, and critic Anthony Merino passed away last week. Today we feature a rebroadcast of our 2015 interview where we discuss the exhibition 50 Women: A Celebration of Women in Ceramics . In our interview we talk about Anthony and Alex's curatorial process, and the active community they built using social media. You can find out more by searching "50 years 50 women" on Facebook.

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast we have a live episode that was taped as part of the Envision: Woodfire NC conference in May 2022. I'm joined by Steve Blankenbeker, Takuro Shibata, Josh Copus, and Hideo Mabuchi to talk about the discovery and use of locally dug clay. To find out more about the ceramic research being done at Starworks visit www.starworksnc.org .     We are ending...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I talk with Eric Botbyl. He is both a working potter and a gallery owner helping to promote the work of functional artists. In our interview we talk about developing his highly gestural pottery forms, matching a decorated surface to form, and creating Companion Gallery. To find out more visit www.companiongallery.com .   We are ending our tenth ann...

Part two of our 10th anniversary live episode includes a trivia section about the history of the show and past guests. I was joined by Carole Epp and Britta Schroeder, as well as a live audience on Zoom. Many thanks to everyone who came to the taping and helped us celebrate. To celebrate our anniversary, we are also having a fund drive. If you are able please visit  www.talesofaredclayrambler.com/...

Today on the podcast we have part one of a live episode to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the show. I was joined by Carole Epp and Britta Schroeder, as well as a live audience on Zoom. Many thanks to everyone who came to the taping and helped us celebrate. In this episode we talk about our favorite episodes and how making gives our lives meaning. To celebrate our anniversary, we are also having...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I talk with Michael Sherrill, who creates mixed media sculptures that draw from the flora of Western North Carolina. In our interview we talk about his early days as a salt firing potter, developing new techniques for sculpture, and the creation of his Mud Tools brand. To find out more visit www.michaelsherrill.com or www.mudtools.com . To celebrat...

Today on the  Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I talk with Kat Hutter and Roger Lee. The pair share a studio making stoneware pottery that is decorated with bright geometric designs. In our interview we talk about their paths to being full time artists, splitting time between two studio locations, and the roots of their modernist aesthetic. They recently celebrated ten years of K&R ceramics wit...