And the winners of the Red Clay Rambler Podcast giveaway are.....

Suzanne Scott from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada wins this teapot set.

Stormie Burns from Tampa Bay, FL wins this Yunomi.



Joy Bridy from Shenandoah Junction, WV wins this butter dish. 

Thanks to all those who played along with the giveaway this year. (To make sure you are eligible for the next giveaway sign up for the mailing list at the top of the podcast tab.) Most importantly thanks for listening and supporting the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast throughout its first season. I had a great time interviewing all the generous artists that donated their time and energy to the podcast. Looking forward to putting out the Best of Season One episode in a few days. 

Check out the newly remastered Matt Long episode of the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler podcast

After working on the Best of Season One episode this week I decided to go back and remaster the very first Red Rambler podcast with potter Matt Long. From a few of your comments I realized the first version must have been a little hard to hear. Even though it was one of the most downloaded episodes the poor sound quality has bothered me all year long. I learned so many do's and dont's from that first recording. Those mistakes helped pave the way for better recordings in the later episodes. The remastered interview is not perfect but it now has a much better sound. If you missed it the first time around give it a listen.

"This episode of the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast features an interview with American ceramic artist Matt Long. Known for his functional porcelain pottery, Long specializes in soda fired communal drinking vessels such as flasks, bottles and jugs. In the interview we discuss the dynamics of change in studio life, directing students through teaching, and traveling the ceramic workshop circuit."

Highlights from Akar Design's 2013 Yunomi Invitational

Here are my favorites from this year's Yunomi invitational. I went online just yesterday and so many pots are already sold. I'm always amazed at the strength of Akar's marketing and online gallery presence.

Drawing style

Shanna Fliegel


Jenny Mendes


Shoko Teruyama


Betsy Williams


Kurt Anderson

Form

Tyler Gulden


Matt Kelleher

Pattern

Mark Errol

Michael Hunt

I am happy to have work included in the show this year. Here are a few of my favorites of the five that I sent. What you can't see in the photos are the dot drawings that occupy the negative spaces. Wish that subtle layer would show up better in photos. Head over to www.akardesign.com to see the rest of the show.

Watch out Adele here comes "Rolling Clay with Keith"

Keith Brymer Jones is going to give Adele a run for her money. Click here to watch "Rolling Clay with Keith". Good for a Thursday laugh. In his spare time he also has a ceramic design line at www.keithbrymerjones.com

Prouty, Puryear and Nickel talk Comics, SciFi and the Anti-Hero on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast

Richard Nickel "The Finger of Spring"

Adams Puryear "The Man with a Mask who makes Robots. With Robots."

Nate Prouty "Paffy"

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I am featuring a panel discussion with Nate Prouty, Adams Puryear, and Richard Nickel. We discuss comics, SciFi and the role the anti-hero persona plays in American culture. The wide-ranging discussion starts with the premise that we are in the midst of a major aesthetic shift in ceramic arts. Under the influence of contemporary graphic culture the age of "round and brown" ceramics has given way to brightly colored forms heavily influenced by the narrative structure and style of comics and SciFi.

Nate Prouty is a ceramic artist who maintains a studio in Athens, Ohio. For more information on his work please visit nathanprouty.com. Adams Puryear is a ceramic artist who maintains a studio in Brooklyn, NY. For more information on his work please visit adamspuryear.net. Richard Nickel is an Associate professor and Program Director of Art Education at Old Dominion University. He maintains a studio in Norfolk, VA. For more info on his work please visit richardnickel.wordpress.com.

To subscribe to the Red Clay Rambler podcast on iTunes please click here. You can also stream the latest episode on the podcast tab for the site. Click here to listen.

Season 1 Podcast Pottery Give-a-way

The Tales of a Red Clay Rambler podcast is finishing up its first season. To celebrate I'm going to give away a few thank you pots to my loyal listeners. To be eligible sign up for the podcast mailing list and you might win this yunomi. I'll be drawing names at the end of the month. Thanks for a great first season!

Sign up by entering your email in the box at the top of the podcast tab. 

Enter the Medalta Cup show! Do it, do it, do it....

Carole Epp is jurying Medalta's first international cup show. Great opportunity to show in Canada and be featured on her blog Musing about Mud. For more info click here. Deadline is Thursday, May 30th.

Sean O'Connell at Mudfire Gallery

Sean O'Connell has a nice selection of new work up at Mudfire this month. Check it out at www.mudfire.com. I love the way he uses simple elements of design to make complex pots with a lot of suface depth in the decoration. For more information of Sean check out his website www.seanoconnellpottery.com.

Emily Reason on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast

This week on the Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast I have an interview with potter Emily Reason. She is the quintessential "potter's potter" making beautifully designed utilitarian ware for the table. Her newest body of work draws on both Chinese and North Carolina ceramic traditions.

In the interview we talk about her ongoing relationship with China, the nuts and bolts of running a studio pottery, and her experience writing a book on ceramics. Reason wrote the excellent Ceramics for Beginners: Wheel Throwing for Lark Books in 2010. For more information on her work please visit www.emilyreason.com.

To subscribe to the Red Clay Rambler podcast on iTunes please click here. You can also stream the latest episode on the podcast tab for the site. Click here to listen.






In the interview we also talk about Emily's recent foray into narrative sculptural vessels. Under the influence of Chinese funerary urns Emily has started to incorporate historical themed stories into her studio practice. The pots pictured above are based on tabacco farming and the Drover's Road. I'm very excited to see more of this work.