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

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with ceramic artist and educator Joe Bova. Using biomorphic and zoomorphic subject matter, Joe creates hollow formed ceramic sculpture that serves as a vehicle for political, social and mythical narratives. His work has been widely exhibited in hundreds of group shows and more than fifteen major solo exhibitions spanning his decades-long ceramic career. In addition to his studio work Joe was active in the classroom from 1969-2007, when he was an integral part of building the ceramic programs at Nichols State University, Louisiana State University and Ohio University.

In the interview we talk about building a ceramic program in higher education, developing a deft touch in clay, and the erotic nature of creativity. For more information on his work please visit www.joebova.com.

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have a panel discussion with ceramic artists Jason Burnett, Sunshine Cobb, and Doug Peltzman. Our conversation covers many topics including seeking sources for constructive criticism, reevaluating life goals after accruing academic debt, and defining success early in a career.

Jason Burnett is an artist living in Gatlinburg, TN. For more information about his work please visit www.jasonbigeburnett.com. Sunshine Cobb is a potter living in Sacramento, CA. For more information on her work please visit www.sunshinecobb.com. Doug Peltzman is a potter living in the Hudson Valley area of New York. For more information on his work please visit www.dougpeltzman.com. 

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with artist and educator Holly Hanessian.  Her most recent work Touch in Real Time explores the intimate nature of physical contact and its significance in the digital age. Part research and part social engagement Holly asks strangers to shake hands with a small amount of clay between them. This creates an object that concretizes an otherwise temporal experience. In the interview we talk about the value of touch and its foundation in neuroscience, incorporating new technologies into her clay work, and the difference between art and research . For more information about Holly please visit www.hollyhanessian.com.

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with potter McKenzie Smith. During early academic training as a musician he took a glaze chemistry class and has been a dedicated potter ever since. Working within the Mingei aesthetic, McKenzie references the colors and textures of South Florida where he maintains a studio. In the interview we talk about growing up during the drug wars in Miami, his understanding of Mingei, and the development of an inner journey in the studio. For more information about McKenzie please visit www.mckenziespottery.com.

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with gallery owner and artist Charlie Cummings. Through the Charlie Cummings Gallery he exhibits a variety of ceramic art with a focus on supporting artists early in their careers. His annual show Cup: The Intimate Object anchors an active curatorial program that includes both functional wares and sculpture. In his own art practice Charlie engineers multimedia installations that use technology to create sensory experiences that trigger the viewer's sense of awe and wonder.

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Matt Schiemann. Matt creates full bodied functional forms that showcase flame patterns from the Anagama and Train kilns he fires in St. Petersburg, FL. In the interview we talk about shaping the Morean Center for Clay's artist-in-residence program, being an optimist, and capitalizing on the opportunities that come across your path. For more information on Matt's work please visit www.matthewschiemannpottery.com.

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with potter and educator Linda Arbuckle. A master of the majolica process Linda is known for her fluid brush work and keen sense of color. In addition to her studio work Linda has been active in the classroom for three decades and is currently a professor of ceramics at the University of Florida. In the interview we talk about defining the value of handmade, creating a conceptual framework for functional pottery and her career as an educator. For more information about Linda please visit www.lindaarbuckle.com.

This episode of the podcast is exclusively sponsored by Ceramics Monthly; a magazine made by and for ceramic artists. For a feature on today’s guest Linda Arbuckle, check out the March 2015 issue of Ceramics Monthly in print, or online at www.ceramicsmonthly.org.

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Patrick Coughlin. Anchored in a long time ceramic studio practice Patrick creates mixed media sculpture that looks at the history and value of labor across craft media. In a statement about his recent exhibition Tools of the Trade he says,  "My work is both elegy and ballad, aiming to depict the hidden beauty and value in the knowledge of process, and the joy of committing it. The act of making becomes a performance of my own heritage; working with dirt, tool and sweat of brow." In the interview we talk about developing a body of work post graduate school, the need for craft mastery in art education, and the social history of pattern. For more information on his work please visit www.patrickcoughlin.com.