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 Pepai and Milyika Carroll. The Carrolls are accomplished ceramic artists and painters who work at the Ernabella Arts Center. A core part of the Pukatja Community, the art center is nestled into the eastern end of the Musgrave Ranges of South Australia. Established in 1948, Ernabella Arts is Australia’s oldest continuously running Indigenous Art Center. In the interview we talk about Ernabella history and the role Tjukurpa, or story/cultural law, plays in the creation of Anangu art. For more information on Ernabella Arts please visit www.ernabellaarts.com.au.

This episode of the podcast is proudly sponsored by Sabbia Gallery, Sydney’s premier commercial gallery for studio glass and ceramic artists from Australia and New Zealand. The gallery presents a diverse group of internationally renowned artists, who are creating dynamic and innovative artworks. Sabbia Gallery has held two highly successful group exhibitions from the Ernabella Ceramics Studio over the past two years, and look forward to presenting an exhibition of ceramics by Ernabella women in March 2016. Head over to the website www.sabbiagallery.com to learn more about their artists and exhibition program."

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with ceramic artists Kate Dunn and Fiona Fell. Both are educators and makers utilizing digital technologies in the creation of their artwork. In the interview we talk about ongoing changes in the Australian educational system, collaboration as a method for making ceramics, and the ontology of objects.

Kate Dunn is a lecturer at UNSW Art & Design specializing in practiced-based research that investigates experimental digital fabrication. For more information on Kate please visit https://research.unsw.edu.au/people/ms-kate-dunn. Fiona Fell is the Head of Department in 3D studies, Visual Arts within the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Southern Cross University. Her recent work uses collaborative, inter-disciplinary practices to explore materiality in dialogue with media-based art forms. For more information on Fiona please visit a review on www.craftaustralia.org.au/library/review.php?id=fiona_fell_ceramics_collaboration.

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by the Australian Ceramic Association, a member-driven organization, which fosters a lively community by organizing nationwide open studio events, publishing The Journal of Australian Ceramics, supporting artists in their studio practice and advocating for excellence in education and training. For more information, or to join the association, please visit www.australianceramics.com.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Australian potter Shannon Garson. Her porcelain vessels are covered with sgraffito and oxide drawings inspired by the marginalized ecosystems of the littoral zone of seaside Queensland, such as shorelines, rock pools and coastal wallum scrub. In addition to domestic wares Garson has been mixing food, music and vessels into a performance piece/event called The Handmade Table. To see a video about the piece please visit her Vimeo page. For more information about her work please visit www.shannongarsonporcelain.com.au.

This episode of the podcast is the first in the Australia Week series, which is sponsored by the Australian Ceramic Association. Shannon currently serves as the president of this member-driven organization, which fosters a lively community by organizing nationwide open studio events, publishing The Journal of Australian Ceramics, supporting artists in their studio practice and advocating for excellence in education and training. For more information, or to join the association, please visit www.australianceramics.com.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Andrew Stephenson. Educated both in academic settings and a formal apprenticeship, Andrew makes wood fired functional wares that are decorated with slip trailing and traditional glazes. Over the course of the last two and half years Andrew has been tracking and using analytics to determine the exact value of his labor. In the interview we talk about analytic based pricing, building a wood kiln for firing large-scale pottery and selling directly to the public at his studio near Lake Lure in Rutherford County, NC. For more information please visit http://www.ajspottery.com.

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by Troy Bungart Studios. Offering a line of handcrafted, one-of-a-kind pottery tools for the potter who wants to use art to make art. For more information please visit http://www.troybungartstudios.com.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Michael Hunt and Naomi Dalglish, a pottery-making couple living in the small Western, NC community of Bandana. They draw from Korean folk traditions and contemporary Mingei aesthetics to make utilitarian wood fired pottery. In the interview we talk about synthesizing influences, the value of working as a team, and their love for pottery that develops a patina of use over time. For more information please visit www.bandanapottery.com.

This episode of the podcast is sponsored by CFile, an online journal highlighting the impact of ceramics in art, design, architecture, technology, and studio pottery. Visit the newly redesigned CFileOnline.org to learn more about the latest ceramic trends and groundbreaking exhibitions happening around the world.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Timm Muth. With over 30 years experience in the energy industry, Timm has helped design and manage nuclear facilities, fossil fuel stations, hydropower, solar and wind power installations, and biomass resources. In the interview we talk about his time at the Jackson County Green Energy Park, which uses landfill gas to power its ceramic, glass and metal studios. For more information on Timm or the JCGEP’s artist-in-residence program please visit www.jcgep.org.

This episode is sponsored by AMACO, your one-stop-shop for all your ceramic needs. To find out more visit www.AMACO.com.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have a panel discussion about green energy and sustainable studio practices with Gabriel Kline, Kent Mclaughlin, and Erica Schneider. In our wide-ranging conversation we talk about balancing financial investment with long-term environmental safety, utilizing free recycled fuel sources to fire kilns, and best practices for establishing a waste free studio. This episode was taped in front of a live studio audience at the Odyssey Center for Ceramic Art in Asheville, NC.

Gabriel Kline is a potter and the director of the Odyssey Center for Ceramic Arts in Asheville, NC. To find out more information about Gabriel please visit www.odysseyceramicarts.com.

Kent Mclaughlin is a potter based near Bakersville, NC. Along with his wife Suze Lindsay he runs Fork Mountain Pottery. For more information on Kent please visit www.forkmountainpottery.com.

Erica Schneider is the communications director for Sundance Power and an advocate for the adoption of clean energy technologies. For more information on Erica please visit www.sundancepower.com.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Linda Christianson. Working in rural Minnesota, Christianson makes wood fired pottery that is simple and direct. Embracing process marks she often utilizes graceful throwing lines and meandering trimmed edges as a core part of her aesthetic. Christianson’s soft touch remains visually intact even after the pots enter the harsh environment of a wood fired kiln. In the interview we talk about working through self-doubt, digging into the unknown for new ideas, and living in a rebuilt 19th century log cabin. For more information on her work please visit www.christiansonpottery.com.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Mark Pharis. Known for his striking geometric vessels, Pharis has developed a system for slab building soft forms using templates and computer aided drafting. In the interview we talk about the influence of Warren Mackenzie, understanding the “inside hand” in ceramics and developing atmospheric surfaces for the electric kiln. In addition to his studio practice, Pharis is a Professor of Art at the University of Minnesota, where he has been teaching since 1985. For more information on Pharis please see his feature article in the November 2015 issue of Ceramics Monthly.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Randy Johnston.  A working potter since the early 1970’s Johnston has been instrumental in the development of wood fired kiln technology in the United States. His early ceramic education included study with Warren MacKenzie and Shimaoka Tatsuzo, both noted potters influenced by the Mingei philosophy. Throughout his career Johnston has made functional and sculptural vessels that combine these early influences with an interest in African wood sculpture and the drawings of Robert Motherwell and Franz Kline.

In the interview we talk about working in Mashiko, Japan in the 1970’s, digesting the influence of another culture, and the growth of wood firing in North America. For more information on the Randy please visit www.mckeachiejohnstonstudios.com.