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 Ben Owen III from Seagrove, NC. He has been potting since the age of eight and is the sixth generation of the Owen family to work in clay. In addition to a childhood steeped in the family pottery tradition, Owen has a ceramics degree from Eastern Carolina University and has traveled overseas to study ceramics. In our interview we talk about the history of Seagrove, the art of story telling, and becoming an advocate for craft in North Carolina. To see examples of Ben Owen pottery please visit www.benowenpottery.com.

To subscribe to the Red Clay Rambler podcast on iTunes please click here. To add the podcast to your Stitcher Radio on Demand Playlist click here. You can also stream the latest episode on the podcast tab for this site.

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Vernon, Pam, and Travis Owens. They run the Jugtown Pottery in the Westmoore community just outside of Seagrove, NC. Jugtown's history stretches back to 1917 when the founders Jacques and Juliana Busbee started buying pots from local North Carolina potters to sell in their tea room in Greenwich Village, NYC. Although Jugtown has gone through many transitions in it's nine decade history the Owens family has been a main stay for much of its development. Vernon started working at Jugtown in 1960, for then owner John Mare, and has been working there ever since. 

In our interview we talk about the Busbee style, the stewardship of the nonprofit Crossroads Inc., and the evolving nature of tradition. To see examples of the Jugtown pottery please visit www.jugtownware.com.

To subscribe to the Red Clay Rambler podcast on iTunes please click here. To add the podcast to your Stitcher Radio on Demand Playlist click here. You can also stream the latest episode on the podcast tab for this site.

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with fifth generation potter Sid Luck. With his wood burning groundhog kiln he continues a family tradition of pottery making that has existed in the Seagrove, NC area since the early 19th century. Sid started making pottery for JB Cole in 1957 and though he has practiced other professions he has never stopped making pottery. He has been named a living treasure of North Carolina and is a recipient of the NC Heritage award.

In the interview we talk about whiskey, war, and the evolution of the Luck tradition. For more information on Sid's work please visit www.lucksware.com. Sid has been featured in numerous articles and two documentaries by Jim Sharkey. You can view a clip from the 1999 documentary Crawdad Slip at www.folkstreams.net. 

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have a live episode taped at the North Carolina Potter's conference. The episode features myself and Brian Jones presenting on Pottery, Podcasting and Posterity to a wonderful audience at the Sunset Theater in Asheboro, NC. In the interview we talk about creative competition, social media as ceramic advocacy, and developing a podcasting style.

Brian Jones is a ceramic artist and podcaster based in Portland, OR. He was an early motivator and inspiration for me to start the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast. You can find out more about his work and podcast at www.brianrjones.com. You can access his podcast directly by subscribing to the Brian R Jonescast on Stitcher and iTunes.

To subscribe to the Red Clay Rambler podcast on iTunes please click here. To add the podcast to your Stitcher Radio on Demand Playlist click here. You can also stream the latest episode on the podcast tab for this site.

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with ceramic artist Lisa Orr. Based in Austin, TX she makes colorful earthenware pottery reminiscent of a garden in full bloom. She has developed a unique method of turning pots in bisque molds on a potters wheel. This achieves a softly manipulated form, which is then colored with runny translucent glazes. In the interview we talk about the influence of Betty Woodman, color synesthesia, and Lisa's documentaries on Mexican folk pottery. You can see more of Lisa's work at www.lisaorr.com. 

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with ceramic artist and educator Lisa Stinson. I had the great pleasure of studying under Lisa at Appalachian State University. In the interview we talk about her teaching philosophy, why its so hard to make a good pot, and the creative tension that comes from collaboration. You can see more of Lisa's work at the Appalachian State University faculty gallery.

To subscribe to the Red Clay Rambler podcast on iTunes please click here. To add the podcast to your Stitcher Radio on Demand Playlist click here. You can also stream the latest episode on the podcast tab for this site.

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with ceramic artist Tommy Frank. His current body of sculptural work uses the childhood piggy bank to address consumption and power in the American economy. His pig armies fill gallery spaces asking the viewer to question how we teach children the value of hoarding in our society.  In addition to his studio practice Frank is the studio manager of Red Star Studios in Kansas City, MO.

In the interview we talk about pop culture, masculinity, and the growth of Red Star Studios. You can see more of Tommy's work at www.frankarts.com. For more information on Red Star Studios please visit www.redstarstudios.org. 

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with potter Matt Jones. During his time as an apprentice potter, Jones was deeply influenced by Mark Skudlarek, Todd Piker, and the British studio pottery lineage that traces back to Michael Cardew. Jones currently maintains a studio in Sandy Mush, NC where he wood fires functional ceramics that draw inspiration from 19th/20th century American pottery, and other forms of ceramics that could be loosely defined as "folk" pottery.

In the interview we talk about the value of the North Carolina pottery scene, the relevance of folk art in contemporary life, and his relationship with ceramic critic Garth Clark. In 2011 Jones used his blog (Critique of a Critic) to engage Clark in a lively discussion about the role traditionally made objects, and their makers, have once they enter the fine art world. The discussion fueled Jones to push his work in new directions, yielding his "Country Funk" style. You can read more about their discussion and find out more about Jones Pottery at www.jonespottery.com. 

To subscribe to the Red Clay Rambler podcast on iTunes please click here. To add the podcast to your Stitcher Radio on Demand Playlist click here. You can also stream the latest episode on the podcast tab for this site.