Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Chris Staley and Kyle Johns. Both were artists-in-residence for the month of May at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, MT. During the month Staley was making a new body of sculptural vessels and Johns continued his exploration of keyless mold systems for slip cast vessels. In our interview we talk about suspending judgement when making, how boredom can create space for new ideas, and learning to use social media in a healthy and sustainable way.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Joanna Powell. Her work spans many genres including ceramic sculpture, painting, and photography. In our interview we talk about her visual editing process, women’s beautification rituals, and the themes within her recent exhibition, “Lay me in a hot bed and try not to drown.” The show is up at Greenwich House Pottery’s Jane Hartsook Gallery until June 14th.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Nick Danielson. After an early interest in conceptual sculpture, Nick has been solely focused on making functional pottery for the last eight years. His work is an aesthetic blend of Korean Buncheong ware, color from contemporary graphic design, and the angular nature of computer aided drafting (CAD), which he uses to design the work. In our interview we talk about studying in Korea, balancing historical and contemporary influences, and using the CAD to get creative with his forms and surfaces.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Chip Clawson. In recent years he has been focused on making sculptural forms that are cast from concrete and adorned with ceramic embellishments. His piece, “Ode to Edward James,” features multiple twenty-foot columns that are bisected by horizontal cloud-like forms. In our interview we talk about planning large-scale sculptural works, the influence of Edward James’ “Las Pozas,” and Clawson’s time creating public art with inmates in Montana state prisons.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Diane Charnov, this year’s Jentel Critic at the Archie Bray Foundation. After an early career as a political speech writer Diane has been focused for the last decade on art criticism and journalism. In our interview we talk about shifting between persuasive writing and journalism, funny moments from speeches gone awry, and how artists and institutions can better advocate for themselves.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an audio tour of the Archie Bray Foundation with Chip Clawson. Chip worked for the organization for over 35 years and has compiled much of its history from its inception as the Western Clay Manufacturing Company in the 1880’s to the ceramic arts foundation that exists today. On our tour we visit the former brick and tile factories, as well as the beehive kilns that fired the wares.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Perry Haas. He builds softly undulating vessels that are designed to pick up the light fly ash of the wood kilns he fires. His recent work is made with a speckled clay body that obscures the silhouette of the forms, blending the exterior and interior spaces into the same visual plane. In our interview we talk about being patient with yourself when starting a new body of work, the Montana residency circuit and finding work life balance.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with David Peters. While studying at Utah State University, David discovered a passion for using “wild” ceramic materials to make functional pottery. For the past twelve years he has focused on developing clay and glaze formulas from ceramic materials dug in the mountains of Central Montana. In our interview we talk about the geology of Montana, how to test and adapt raw materials for studio use, and sorting through criticism when starting a new body of work.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Steven Young Lee. Growing up in Chicago the son of immigrant Korean parents, Steve turned to pop culture as a touchstone for belonging. His current body of work blends contemporary and historical references on ceramic vessels, including a recently completed large-scale plate installation. In our interview we talk about early 80’s TV heroes, how social media affects the aesthetics of globalism, and the process of making work for his show at the Portland Art Museum.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Giselle Hicks. Her minimalist vessels combine simple glazes with refined forms to highlight the process marks of her coil-building technique. After reading Elaine Scarry’s On Beauty and Being Just, Hicks has embraced the decorative function of her work, focusing on a quest for personal beauty. In our interview we talk about her experience selling through interior designers and how her transition between sculptural and functional bodies of work helped her cultivate a new audience.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Scott Barnim. Based in Dundas, Ontario, Barnim has been a potter for over 40 years. In his early career he made traditional salt ware pottery, but later became interested in surface decoration after doing a master’s degree at the University of Wales. His studio production now includes highly decorated stoneware, low fire reduced luster ceramics and cobalt transfer ware. In our interview we talk about the nuts and bolts of running a successful studio pottery, understanding reduced luster ceramics, and learning from British studio potters Alan Caiger-Smith and Mick Casson.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have a panel discussion with members of the Hamilton Potters Guild. Emma Smith, Greg Voison, Melissa Schooley and Scott Barnim talk about their experience being potters in the Ontario region and the benefits of being in a guild. We also talk about building a wood kiln on a land lease property, following trends versus “selling out” your aesthetic, and how the rising cost of housing affects potters.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Paul Briggs. During his multifaceted career Paul has been a professor, minister, and artist. While in the ministry he became engaged with social justice work, which influenced his recent body of work “Cell Personae.” The collection of sculptures deals with the effect mass incarceration has on black lives. In the interview we talk about the research Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi did into flow states, what we can learn spiritually through failures in the studio, and how social justice, spirituality and art intersect.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview that Kate Fisher conducted with ceramic artist Mikey Walsh in 2014. The interview is part of Fisher’s interactive project, “Both Artist and Mother”, which addresses the issues working mothers face. In the interview they talk about dealing with the “shouldness” of time management and advice for women who desire to blend familial and career goals.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Kate Fisher. Her recent body of functional pottery draws from a visual analysis of her domestic landscape, including kid’s toys, tools and other familial paraphernalia. In the interview we talk about the parallels between endurance sports and potting, the types of support working mothers need to be active in their studios, and her ceramic outreach project “Both Artist and Mother.”

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have a live episode featuring Amanda Salov, Iva Haas, Seth Charles, and Amanda Bury. The panel share their experience being resident artists and developing a career in ceramics. In the interview we talk about how to write a successful application, managing long distance relationships with friends and family, and what makes a good residency. The discussion was taped live at Central Washington University as part of the Residency Reflections exhibition.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have the final episode of a miniseries featuring current resident artists at the Archie Bray Foundation. In this episode Stuart Gair, Kyle Johns, and Kelly Stevenson talk about transitioning to full time studio work after graduate school, pushing themselves to take risks in the studio, and the value of working at the Archie Bray Foundation.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have the second in a series of discussions with current resident artists at the Archie Bray Foundation. In this episode Richard James, Kelsey Duncan and Iva Haas talk about building a character study for figurative sculpture, the choice to improvise or not in the creative process, and how a creative practice can shift the maker’s world view.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have the first in a series of discussions with current resident artists at the Archie Bray Foundation. In this episode Jessica Brandl, Yoonjee Kwak and Christina Erives talk about using humor to shape their aesthetic, creating narrative works that relate to the personal mythologies of their families, and their experience as resident artists in academic institutions and art centers.

Today on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with Brenda Quinn. Her vibrant functional pottery explores the line between hard and soft through the blending of architectural and floral elements. In the interview we talk about how a childhood phobia led her to practice mindfulness, methods for generating pattern, and helping her students understand the value of handmade goods.