Tag: ceramics

Meet the Maker: Roberta Massuch

Hello! My name is Roberta, and I am the maker at roberta massuch ceramics. I create handbuilt porcelain pottery, sculpture, and drawings at The Clay Studio (Philadelphia, PA) where I am a Resident Artist. I’ve been working with clay for over 16 years, 5 of them here in Philadelphia.

I am excited to be returning for my second Art Star Craft Bazaar! The work I will be selling is the line of pottery I developed over the last two years using a unique method of building. I create molds by coil building a form, cut it in half, and fire it in the first firing (bisque). Then I use the ceramic form to press slabs of porcelain into the interior shape. This allows for the texture on the final piece to reflect the way my hands coil and pinch the original form – leaving a bumpy texture and evidence of the molding process.

I look to architecture for inspiration (Mexican pyramids, mid-century Modernism, and contemporary buildings) both in form and color decisions.

I think about how my minimalist; architectural pottery forms can become like little ‘cities’ or still lives when stacked or arranged in groups.

Quiet, simple vessels with white exterior surfaces are inextricably involved with nearby objects, and it is intriguing how the surface of one always affect the perception of another due to shifts in the intensity and direction of light covering the forms. Architectural, yet soft and inviting— the cups and bowls I make are asking to be held, to be touched, to be used.

All of my pottery is microwave and dishwasher safe. Durable and ready for everyday use! In addition to my booth at The Art Star Craft Bazaar, you can find my work at The Clay Studio (Philadelphia) in person or online. I am constantly making new pots, so keep an eye out by following me on instagram @bertiegoldtooth to keep up to date on what I have coming up next!

April 27, 2018
Meet the Maker: Tasha McKelvey

Hello, my name is Tasha McKelvey. I’m a ceramic artist from Richmond, Virginia. I create a line of functional and decorative small-scale pottery inspired by my travels, tiny cottages, forest and gardens.

I also have a line of Holiday ornaments inspired by the my visits to European Christmas Markets. Where hand-crafted Holiday ornaments, toys, treasures and delicious treats abound. For hundreds of years, the Christmas Markets have been bringing a spirit of warmth and light to the darkest part of the year. I’ve been inspired by these Winter festivals to create special ornaments that convey a feeling a coziness and to celebrate the idea of home.

I’ll be at the Holiday Art Star Craft Bazaar at table #66!

November 2, 2017
Meet The Maker: Monique Platt from DuTill & Daughters

One of my earliest memories is the smell of gold luster, the tiny jar of minerals sitting on my mother’s studio table (which also passed for our dining table at the time). She was a china painter when I was young, and I’m sure she was frustrated when I got into her precious supplies, but I loved poking through the tiny vials of pigments and oils. So it’s always been a bit surprising to me that I didn’t start working with clay myself until I was in college. Once I did, there was never another medium that felt so naturally like “home”. My father was, among other things, a carpenter at heart, with a full wood shop in our basement, and the ability to execute anything that we women in his life could dream up. Between the two of them, I grew up with a solid love of building and making.

Once I graduated with my Fine Arts degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), I struggled a bit to find footing as an artist trying to make a living. This was before the days of Etsy, Instagram, and the amazing makers’ movement that’s happening now, and there was no real “career path” in ceramics unless you were into the nomadicness of applying for artist residencies. I spent some time working towards a Masters in the History of the Decorative Arts through the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum, but as much as I love curating, that “publish or perish” environment of museum life didn’t feel like a good fit for someone whose hands itch to be creating. So I took a few years off from art and focused on making a living until the timing was right. Once Etsy emerged onto the scene, I opened a shop with my opposite-coast sister, and between the two of us we started building a small but loyal following. Eventually, her military life took her overseas, and I took over running the shop solo. That was almost 4 years ago. In the time since that change, the focus of the shop has become entirely ceramics. This past year or so I’ve really pushed myself to create a cohesive body of work, focusing on the level of craftsmanship in each piece, and making sure that when viewed together, the entire collection is recognizably DuTill & Daughters.

I was lucky enough at SAIC to work with instructors who were well-versed in nontraditional approaches to clay, so slipcasting is a regular part of my process. You’ll see repeated shapes throughout the collection, but no two pieces are identical, even if they have similar patterns. With the slipcast pieces, I’ll start out by making a mold of the shape I want, then pouring multiple layers of hand-colored slips (liquid clay) into the molds. Once the pieces come out, I alter them by piercing or carving the surface to reveal the interior colors. Sometimes the rims are smooth and even, like the drinkware, and sometimes I’ll scallop the rim like you’ll see on the berry bowls and colanders. I use a combination of glazes that complement the colored clays, and leave some exterior surfaces unglazed so you can experience the buttery-smooth texture of polished porcelain. All of my work is glaze-fired to Cone 6, which is a mid-range ceramic temperature, about 2260°F.

The other main technique I use is called Nerikomi. Nerikomi (this term is used for hand-built work) and Neriage (for wheel-thrown work) are processes that involve stacking and layering colored clays to create intricate patterns. It can be a bit complicated because your clays need to have a compatible moisture content or they’ll split and crack during the firing process, but the intricate surfaces that come through this way are like no other process in ceramics. Nerikomi is perfect for making plates and platters, and I will sometimes use this technique for bowls. If you were to break one of these pieces in half, you’d see that the colors and patterns are all the way through the clay, not just sitting on the surface. I love how I can roll, stack, texture, add colors, paint on thick layers of slip, roll again, and come out at the end of the day with these crazy beautiful designs that I could never have drawn out on paper. The three jewelry trays below all came from the same Nerikomi block, and you can see how much variety there is from a single block. It’s a process that allows your hands to really be felt in every piece. The Nerikomi pieces are finished in clear glazes with the occasional colored accents, which allow the patterns to shine through.

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Monique Platt is the designer and maker behind DuTill & Daughters Pottery and has been working with clay for the better part of 20 years. She lives in Cherry Hill, New Jersey with her super-tall, bearded husband, their two astonishing girls, and studio pup/escape artist Nyx. When she isn’t in the studio, Monique is probably soaking up other people’s art, listening to as much music as possible, or eating pie. Maybe cake. Sometimes ice cream. You can see more of her work at dutillanddaughters.com, and on Facebook and Instagram @dutillanddaughters.

Photo credit: Monique Platt and Renee Zublic.

July 6, 2017
Meet The Maker: Tara Vaughan Ceramics

Hey friends! I am starting up our Meet the Makers series again. We will be featuring posts by a selection of our new Art Star Craft Bazaar Vendors every Tuesday and Thursday each week, leading up to the show on May 7th + 8th. We hope you enjoy these profiles as much as we do. First up is new Art Star Craft Bazaar, Tara Vaughan. – Megan

My name is Tara Vaughan and I make pottery here in Philadelphia.

I was first introduced to clay in freshman year of college at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. I took the class as an elective, but quickly fell in love with it. I immediately changed my major from Insurance to Ceramics and continued to work in pottery and sculpture throughout my time in undergrad. After graduating in 2014, my friend Morgan and I decided to get a studio together in the Crane Arts building. We were very fortunate to have such amazing friends and mentors that were willing to donate a lot to help us get on our feet. We were given hundreds of pounds of clay, tables, molds, tools, and the best of all, even a 35 year old kiln. (Which after being refurbished, works like a charm!)

I hand build all of my work. Pinching and coiling are my most used methods, while I do slab work for more geometric pieces. Almost all of my work is made using the same technique, but usually with different results. Bottles are my favorite piece of pottery to make, because they never turn out the same. I always have an idea of how I would like it to look, but the result is always very different, sometimes better. Each form is new and unique to the one made before it.

I love plants, and decided to make a planter for every type of plant lover. Small to large, indoor to outdoor, hanging or sitting, I have got one for you.

I am very excited to be a part of ASCB this year. Please come and say hi! I would love to meet you.

www.taravaughanceramics.com
Find a selection of Tara’s work year round in our Shop

April 5, 2016
Meet ASCB Vendor Bethany Rusen of Stanley Chester & Albert

being a potter in an urban area has its challenges. every so often, i envy my friends who are ceramic artists in far flung, beautiful places like the mountains of North Carolina or the plains of Montana and Nebraska. i love the beauty of where they live and most of all, the abundance of space. but i grew up in rural Pennsylvania, so by age 18 i had had enough of the country life. i have lived in Philly for almost 12 years and i think i am a permanent condition in this fair city. besides, i would miss the vibrant urban environment and the amazing community of makers that Philadelphia has to offer.

when i was looking to buy a house a year and a half ago, i told my realtor that my number one need was a work space. because Philly’s housing stock in almost entirely rowhomes, i knew my studio would be in the basement. so i needed a large, open, airy, high ceilinged basement, which was a challenge, especially in older homes. my house is almost a hundred years old, but it has an ideal basement. so this has been my studio home since then.

when i started making pots under Stanley Chester & Albert about two and a half years ago, i had almost 15 years working as a ceramic artist under my belt, including a BFA and an MFA in ceramic sculpture. i started SC&A with a very simple premise: to produce well made vessels that would be accessible to a diverse audience and appeal to a population of people who normally didn’t buy handmade pots. with that in mind, i decided to stick to simple forms like bowls and cups – things that could be used in a variety of ways and be at home in any domestic environment.

i’ve always been in love with vintage imagery, pop culture and snark, and the unexpected ways they can be combined. as for putting them on pots, it all started about seven years ago when i was still in grad school. i made a vase for a friend’s birthday: on one side was a dead flower, and the other said “BITCH PLS”. no one around me really got why it was funny, but i thought it was hilarious at the time (and still do). ceramics sometimes has a tendency to be overly formal and serious, so i love to disrupt that expectation.

most everything i make starts on the potters’ wheel, thrown by yours truly. i favor simple, elemental forms. everything is thrown generously and has a solid weight and heft to it. i want these pieces to stand up to daily use in your home, not put on a shelf only to be admired.

after the pots are trimmed and dried, they are bisque fired to 1860 degrees, and then glazed and fired again to 2232 degrees. almost everything i make is dipped in a clear glaze to allow the clay body (which is a really delicious speckled while stoneware) to shine through. i try to keep glazing very simple, mostly because i really hate glazing, but also because i’m more interested in using the vessel as a blank canvas for the images i apply.

i was introduced to the waterslide decal process by my colleague and friend, Sharon Bartmann. i immediately saw the possibility of decals and ended up running with it like mad. i source my images from copyright free and vintage websites and books, in particular the Dover series of illustration books, which compiles a huge variety of images in one place. after scanning or downloading, i play with the images in Photoshop a bit, adjusting contrast, brightness, proportion and orientation. because of the way the printer works, high contrast images without a lot of shades of gray work best.

once i have the image the way i want it in Photoshop, i print it out using a special printer and special decal paper. from there, i cut out the image, put it in water, and then affix the cellophane image to the vessel. it’s fired once more to permanently bond the image to the glaze. although the images are printed with black ink, once they are fired they turn a lovely reddish brown sepia color. with that aesthetic in mind, i gravitated toward imagery from the Victorian and Edwardian eras. i love anatomy and so skulls, hearts, bones and brains frequently find their way onto my work.

looking forward to the first Craft Bazaar at Asbury Park. come find me, i will be sure to have some Fucking Coffee in my hand.

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Bethany Rusen is the creative force behind Stanley Chester & Albert. when she is not making pots, she is the Ceramics Technician at Main Line Art Center in Haverford, PA. she teaches kids, teens and adults at MLAC and Delaware Art Museum in Wilmington. she likes to go through other people’s trash, is obsessed with Richard Nixon and is dogmom to her two greyhounds, Calvin and Pearl. follow SC&A on Instagram (@stanleychesteralbert) and for more info, check out stanleychesteralbert.com

Photo credit: Bethany Rusen and Ananda Connolly

July 16, 2015
Meet New ASCB Vendor, Julia Walther!

Well hello there! I’m Julia Walther and I make pottery in Washington, DC.

My journey with pottery began nearly six years ago during my senior year of college when my ceramics professor told us that clay can do anything, you just have to ask it at the right time. That mix of constraints and possibilities is a large part of why I’m so in love with ceramics.

I throw almost all of my work on the wheel using a porcelaneous stoneware that’s a beautiful creamy color when fired. I then spend most of my time decorating those pieces with slips and colored underglazes and carving back through the layers to reveal the bare clay underneath. In the midst of those decorative choices, I’m constantly surprised by threads of ideas that can lead my work down completely new paths.

The cacti decorations have come out of my appreciation of papercutting, and other folk crafts that use abstracted shapes to convey stories and show evidence of the human hand. I also really enjoy carving out the spikes!

After the glaze firing, I’ll choose a few pieces to which I’ll apply metallic luster accents and do another firing specifically for that. So your pot may have had a trial by fire three times before it ends up in your hands.

I work alongside about twenty artists working at Red Dirt Studio, a repurposed firehouse just outside Washington, DC. I love the community we’ve established through weekly seminar meetings and by sharing the building. It’s easy to accidentally isolate yourself as an artist, so I’m glad to have this flow of interesting people around my studio space.

At the same time, this is also the first instance in my career where I’ve had freedom to call nearly all the shots. I want to spend the precious time I have in the studio actually making work and taking care of my body to prevent injuries from overwork. In the last year, that has meant switching to a commercially produced pre-mixed clay, and changing the firing temperature of my work so I can use electric kilns, which tend to be more compatible with an urban environment. Additionally, for the past three years I’ve been throwing standing up, which will hopefully prevent future back issues related to sitting and leaning forward (the worst possible position for your back!).

Pots are special because they can be both a sculpture and a canvas. I’ve found a lot of joy in scribbling on the surfaces of my pots, freezing the movement of a hand in time. I’m excited about creating those juicy points of interest that ask you to turn the pot in your hands to soak up the details while you eat your meal or admire your flowers or engage with the piece in any other way. The last step of making pottery is getting it into the hands of the user, and that’s where a new adventure begins.

This will be my first year at the Art Star Craft Bazaar, and I’m so looking forward to the show! I’d love it if you stopped on by Booth #59 and said hello.

April 28, 2015
Guest Post: Melissa Weiss Pottery

We are thrilled to welcome new Art Star Craft Bazaar Vendor, Melissa Weiss, to our November 8th and 9th show at the 23rd Street Armory and as a guest writer on our blog today! Melissa is a studio potter from Asheville, NC. She digs all of her own clay off her land in NW Arkansas and each piece is made entirely by hand. Enjoy her post about her work and process. Be sure to check out her website and her booth (#47) at our upcoming bazaar!

Melissa Weiss in her studio

About 6 years ago on a visit to my land in NW Arkansas I dug a bucket of clay out of the ground and brought it home. I made a cup and fired it. It withstood the firing but had some issues. On my next trip to Arkansas I dug a few hundred pounds. I brought it back to my studio in Asheville, NC and started adding feldspars, sand and other commercially available dried clays. I made about 13 variations of clay bodies incorporating my hand dug clay in different percentages. I tested all of these variations with all of my slips and glazes and after hundreds of tests came up with a working clay body that was what I wanted based on functionality and aesthetics. The clay I dug from land is 25% of the body and this is the clay I use to make every single pot. The process is arduous but the reward is grand.

About once a year I drive to the land I bought in 2002 with friends. I was not a potter then. We bought 75 acres of wild woods an hour from town. This land is full of a beautiful iron rich, red clay. I dig about 1000 lbs on a trip and bring it home. This will enable me to make 4000 lbs of clay. I make clay at my studio in batches of 1000 lbs. I put the Arkansas clay in a 55 gallon drum and add water. I let it sit for a while and drill it up until it’s a slurry.

Then I screen it to remove the big rocks and debris. This now liquid clay is in a giant metal trough. I then add all my commercial ingredients and drill it up. At this point the clay is mixed and is the consistency of yogurt. I remove this liquid clay by the bucket full into racks lined with old bed sheets. The racks are basically wood frames with a chicken wire bottom. These racks get stacked upon each other until they are all filled with the clay. They will then sit for 2 weeks or more depending on the weather. At this stage the water slowly drains through the sheets and screen and eventually I am left with a useable clay.

the clay’s water slowly drains through bed sheets

The reason I do this is not to save money on clay. After all the labor and driving it costs much more than buying clay at the store. I do this for many reasons. The most basic is aesthetics. The clay I make looks different. It is imperfect and slightly varying. Small rocks and bits of iron remain, which melt out in the firings and give the pots a raw, wild look. This clay also feels different. It feels alive. It has a character and a life of its own. I also love the process of autonomy. I like being involved in the making process from the beginning to the end. The finished pot was made by me every step of the way. It gives me a connection to my work I don’t think I would have if the clay was more easily come by.

hand formed spoons made from Melissa’s own clay body

I work out of an 8000 square foot warehouse in an industrial section of Asheville, NC between the railroad and the river. It’s called SouthSide Studios which I founded in 2013. I run the studio which houses about 20 other artists working in a variety of media. My studio hours are dictated by the fact that I have a 10 year old in public school. I get to the studio by 8am, Monday through Friday. I work until 3 most days and later when I have the opportunity. I spend time there on weekends when I can. On average I spend about 40-50 hours a week in the studio.

I work in a rhythm. It starts with making clay, slips, glazes and washing ash for glazes. I then make pots. I usually have the pots I want to make laid out by weeks. This is dictated partly by orders and deadlines. This system seems to give me structure and keep me from becoming overwhelmed with too much to do. For example, I will lay out the month of making by Week 1: slab pots, Week 2: mugs and drip cones, Week 3: pitchers and animal pots, Week 4 thrown bowls and teacups. This is never rigid and I ALWAYS make or do something new in every cycle. When the making is complete I bisque fire all the pots. Then I glaze and decorate all the pots. They are now ready for the final firing. I fire the pots in a gas reduction kiln at the studio. The firing lasts about 10 hours. The kiln cools for a day and then I unload the pots. All the pots get their bottoms sanded to make them smooth. They then get washed and priced.

Everyday I am in my studio I feel grateful and lucky. So grateful that I do what I love for a living. It takes a strict discipline and sacrifice of certain things but they are all worth it. I will be making pots in my studio, listening to music with my dog and drinking coffee thinking – “I am at work right now!” I work hard and it feels easy.

Iron + White “V” Lidded Elephant Jar by Melissa Weiss Pottery

Purchase Melissa’s work at our upcoming bazaar or on her website here

October 28, 2014
ASCB Shopping List: For the Home

Whether it is an accent pillow, vase, printed textile, decor piece or whatever, the Art Star Craft Bazaar is the place to find that perfect handmade addition to your home! Here are a few of our picks “for the home” to help you plan your shopping strategy.

1. Boutique Textiles Lauren Rossi’s small local company, Boutique Textiles, prints the most gorgeous, colorful patterns on tea towels, napkins, pillows, fabric yardage + more! Booth #25

2. Hannah’s Hannah Simmons is the lady behind this line of products all made from local, sustainably harvested cherry trees. Simmons, along with her father Jonathan, create everything from hair accessories to these very useful and aesthetically pleasing IPhone Stands. Booth #100

3. happydespina ltd Every home needs a chalkboard! Lucky for us, Chicago based artist, Despina Papadeas cuts them into cool shapes. Find everything from the United States, hot air balloons, instruments, to any adorable animal you could think of, and much more! Booth #27 4. jennyjen42 Baltimore based, Jennifer McBrien, draws birds with her sewing machine on fabric. The result is really beautiful! She also adds elements of felt applique, which adds a splash of color that contrasts nicely with the simple black stitching. Her line includes pillows, kitchen aid / sewing machine covers, pot holders and more! Booth #63

5. littlegreenthings Leah Boelman of littlegreenthings makes unique, reclaimed wood art pieces that she paints and also hand embroiders. Each piece is one-of-a-kind and her selection is huge, which makes it kinda hard to choose – there are so many good ones! She stitches up outlines of states, rvs, bikes, love notes, inspirational sayings, pretty much anything you could think of. Find the perfect piece to hang in your home! Booth #30

6. Nikkuu I love Melissa Moore’s line of wood planters! These are made from a variety of woods and cut into different geometric shapes. Some are painted with a pop of bright yellow or turquoise, while the wood is left to shine on others. These are great for air plants. Buy a bunch to set on your windowsill or coffee table. Booth #81

7. Peg and Awl Husband + Wife duo, Margaux + Walter Kent’s goods always begin as an item that they need for their own home and family. All their products are made from old things – reclaimed wood, antique gunsling leather, vintage zippers, etc, that are given new life in the form of housewares, accessories, jewelry and journals. This apothecary cabinet is made from reclaimed cypress and finished with milkpaint. Made to hang in your washroom to store all your toiletries. Booth #93

8. redraven studios Pittsburgh based artists, Amy Hamley, makes this gorgeous line of porcelain keepsakes. The home collection includes planters, jugs, good luck horseshoes, whiskey decanters, and more. The pure, white porcelain shines in each piece and is sometimes accompanied by a line of gold luster or a pop of color. Booth #78

9. Rider Dirt Work I am in love with local Philly ceramicist, Lauren Rider’s, line of henna inspired pottery. Each wheel thrown porcelain piece is glazed and food safe. Use as your everyday dishes or for display. Booth #84

10. Taylor Ceramics Art Star artist, Cara Taylor, is traveling from Easthampton, Massachusetts to sell her porcelain planters, vases, pots, and jewelry. The surfaces of her pieces are kept to a minimal so the simple, yet beautiful details in her forms, carvings and glazing can be appreciated. Delicate line work, hand formed ridges and beading adorn these stunning pieces. Booth #103

11. The 807 Faye Zimmerman of The 807 makes unique wood shelving for the home. Display your collections in an interesting way with her triangle, gem, arrow, and zig-zag shapes. She also makes fun, hand cut wood banners with phrases like “uhghhh” and “cheers bitches”. Booth #48

12. Trinity Framing Last, but certainly not least, our friends from Philadelphia’s premier custom framing shop will be selling their awesome ready made frames that they hand make from reclaimed wood. Bring all the prints you score at the show over to them and pick out the perfect frame. I also hear that they will be giving out coupons for custom framing with purchase. Booth #53

May 3, 2014
Spotlight on Audrey Cooper

I will be posting a spotlight on each of the participating Farmhaus & Friends artists now through October 20th. This first spotlight features potter Audrey Cooper. We weren’t familiar with Audrey’s work until Ben introduced it to us and we are so happy he did!

AUDREY O. COOPER (b. 1971) has been working with clay since 2005. Born and raised in Philadelphia, Audrey graduated with a degree in literature from the University of Pennsylvania and studied sculpture at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. She has studied with potters in Maine and Pennyslvania, and worked for two years at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia. She lives and works in Northern Liberties.

Audrey is interested in using local materials, creating as little waste as possible, and in the life cycle of materials. She embraces the unpredictability, combined with the control of craftsmanship, inherent in the ceramic process. For this project, Audrey made functional tableware, hand-thrown on her electric wheel. She fired one group of porcelain pieces in a wood-fired kiln, fueled by scraps from Ben McBrien’s woodshop. These pieces are unglazed, fired in the salt-chamber of the kiln, colored by the intense atmosphere created by wood fire. The other group was fired in her electric kiln. They are stoneware glazed entirely or partially with ash glazes she made by burning woodshop scraps, applied in combination with commercial glazes.

Check out all of Audrey’s pieces from Farmhaus & Friends online here but if you can, please come and see them in person. The photos do not truly capture the richness and beauty of the glazes PLUS they all feel great in your hands.

October 9, 2013
Farmhaus + Friends Opens this Saturday!!

The installation for our upcoming Farmhaus + Friends exhibition is in the works and we couldn’t be happier with how it is turning out. There is so much detail to each piece in the show, so I thought I’d take some quick shots of my favorite details so far. Come out to experience Ben McBrien’s “Urban Beach Loft” in its entirety this Saturday from 5-8 and meet all the talented artist “friends” who contributed work to this fantastic show!

And let us know if you can make it to the opening via our Facebook Invite!

September 19, 2013