Episodes 31- 40 of the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast

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For descriptions of episodes 1-10 click here.

For descriptions of episodes 11-20 click here.

For descriptions of episodes 21-30 click here.

For descriptions of episodes 31-40 click here.

For descriptions of episodes 41-50 click here.

For descriptions of episodes 51-60 click here.

For descriptions of episodes 61- 70 click here.

Ep. 40 Kansas City Live Ramble with Cary Esser, Tommy Frank and Meredith Host

This episode features a panel discussion with Cary Esser, Meredith Host and Tommy Frank. Each panelist is a ceramic artist that balances their art career with a business oriented profession. Our discussion centers around how creativity is an asset in the business world. Cary Esser is a professor and chair of the ceramics department at the Kansas City Art Institute. You can find our more about her architectural tile and sculpture at www.caryesser.com. Meredith Host is a full time studio artist and entrepreneur who has developed the Dot Dot Dash and Folded Pigs lines of dinnerware. You can find out more about her work at www.meredithhost.com. Tommy Frank is the studio manager of Red Star Studios. You can find our more about his sculptural ceramics at www.frankarts.com. The discussion was taped live at Red Star Studios in Kansas City, MO. To find our more about the programs Red Star has to offer please visit www.redstarstudios.org.

Ep. 39 Richard Notkin on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast

This double episode features an interview with ceramic artist Richard Notkin. Known for his protest art Notkin has approached a variety of subject matter during his career including the folly of war, the nuclear age, and global warming. His teapots and tile work can be found in numerous museums around the United States including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Cooper-Hewitt Museum and the Mint Museum of Craft and Design. In the interview we talk about establishing a visual language, the influence of the Vietnam War and developing a collector base. For more information on his work you can visit Richard's Art Axis page or click here to see the PBS Craft in America segment that featured Richard's work.

Ep. 38 Steve Lee on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast

This episode features an interview with ceramic artist Steve Lee. At first glance his porcelain ceramics appear to be traditional Asian vessels but a closer glance reveals pop culture icons and contemporary subject matter. His most recent body of work, "Deconstructed", questions the relevance of an object that fails at its original function. For this series he harnesses the fickle nature of porcelain to create vessels that partially collapse as they are fired in the kiln. In the interview we talk about living in China, the role museums play in shaping culture, and his relationship with the Archie Bray Foundation, where he has been the resident director since 2006. For more information on Steve please visit www.stevenyounglee.com. For more information on the Archie Bray Foundation or the residency programs they offer please visit www.archiebray.org.

Ep. 37 Bobby Silverman on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast

This episode features an interview with ceramic artist Bobby Silverman. Throughout his multifaceted career he has been an educator, designer and maker. He currently manages Alsio Design, a Brooklyn based company that produces ceramic tile for residential and commercial markets. In the interview we talk about the pros and cons of higher education, developing a ceramic design company, and the relevance of the traditional pot in contemporary society. For more information on Bobby please visit www.alsiodesign.com.

Ep. 36 Tara Wilson on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast

This episode features an interview with wood fire potter Tara Wilson. The fly ash patterns on her functional pottery often reference the worn surfaces of geologic formations while her altered forms display a sense of volume often found in the animal world. She says of the work, "The rich surfaces of the vessels represent the natural world. Nature also inspires form, in some cases quite literally, as river rocks become saucers. Other pieces speak of this passion more subtly. Bases reference the landscape, evoking a sense of space and awareness of the land. Parallels can be drawn between geological processes and the atmospheric firing process. Pots physically capture and record their firing process similar to the way sedimentary and metamorphic rocks speak of their history." In the interview we talk about putting down roots, sustaining a career, and wood firing as a way to build community. To find out more about her work please visit her website www.tarawilsonpottery.com.

Ep. 35 Mel Griffin on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast

This episode features an interview with ceramic artist Mel Griffin. Her functional pottery and large scale tile work use animal and landscape imagery to talk about human behavior and the way we relate to our surroundings. She says of the work, "Making and drawing allow me to investigate fluid and profound relationships between the body, handmade objects, and landscape, both inside the home and out in the world. Through imagery and metaphor, line and clay, I am exploring the manner in which corporeal experience, mindfulness, memory, and mood combine to create meaning in both everyday and imagined environments." In the interview we talk about the roots of creativity, incorporating sport as a component of an artistic life and the animal side of human behavior. To find out more about her work please visit her website www.melgriffin.com.

Ep. 34 Chris Pickett on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast

This episode features an interview with ceramic artist Chris Pickett. His slab built pottery consists of inflated sculptural volumes decorated with saturated colors and low relief patterning. He says of the work, "With the appearance of being freshly constructed, the fullness of form allows these vessels to evoke a sense of play and ease. The generous volumes are metaphors for our own bodies that reference both the comforts of physical intimacy as well as childlike items, such as toys and stuffed animals." In the interview we talk about utility vs. function, the power of habit, and the influence mid-century modern furniture has on Chris's aesthetic. For more information on his work please visit www.chrispickettceramics.com. 

Ep. 33 Eva Champagne on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast 

This episode features an interview with ceramic artist Eva Champagne. Her hybridized biomorphic sculptures highlight the infinity variety and unifying order that occur within the natural world. She says of the work, "By synthesizing abstracted formal references to animals, plants and geologic sources, I create intentionally ambiguous ceramic sculptures that exist in the fluid margin between categories. My aim is toward something composite that will challenge the habitual presumption that the object must be either one thing or another in favor of a more open “both/and/maybe” interpretation of form."
In the interview we talk about living overseas, the intellectual and spiritual interpretations of her hybrid forms, and her upcoming residency at the Gaya Ceramic Center in Bali. Eva has started a Kickstarter campaign to help fund her trip to Bali. To support her project visit her Kickstarter site by clicking here. To view more of Eva's work please visit her website eva-champagne.com.

Ep. 32 Courtney Murphy on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast

This episode features an interview with potter Courtney Murphy. Her functional earthenware draws from a variety of influences including "simplified abstractions of nature, children's artwork, folk art, mid-century modern forms and shapes, as well as textiles, patterns and historical pots." She maintains a studio in Missoula, MT were she is an artist-in-residence at the Clay Studio of Missoula. In the interview we discuss our mutual love for Western North Carolina, her approach to pattern and form, and her experience making the rounds of the ceramic residency circuit. For more information please visit www.courtneymurphy.net, or to purchase her work please visit her Etsy site www.etsy.com/shop/courtneymurphy.

Ep. 31 Panel discussion on climbing the career ladder in Ceramics

This episode features a panel discussion on ceramic career paths with Mel Griffin, Mathew McConnell, and Peter Christian Johnson. The conversation starts by questioning the premise of an established career ladder in ceramics and evolves into a discussion about success, living a mobile life, and creating your own career path. Mel Griffin is a potter and tile artist living in Helena, MT. For more information about her work please visit www.melgriffin.com. Mathew McConnell is a sculptor and educator living in Fayetteville, AK. He is currently a visiting assistant professor at the University of Arkansas. For more information on his work please visitwww.mathewmcconnell.com. Peter Christian Johnson is sculptor and educator living in La Grande, Oregon. He is currently an assistant professor at Eastern Oregon University. For more information on his work please visit peterchristianjohnson.com. All three of these artists have been long term resident artists at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, MT where the interview was conducted.