Some Recent Writing
From Scratch: A Conversation with Restaurant Potter Connor McGinn
Ceramics Monthly, December 2019
You might say it fell into his lap. While Connor McGinn loved working in clay as an elective while he was getting his degree in Business and Marketing, he never thought it would end up being his career and passion. It all started at North…
Rooted in the Gut: Chris Gustin’s Eloquent Vessels
Ceramics Art & Perception #115, 2020
With much fanfare, Chris Gustin’s solo exhibition “The Eloquent Vessel” opened at Saratoga Clay Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, NY in November of 2019. While we chose the word “eloquent” for the title of the exhibition, Chris Gustin’s work is not short on appropriate adjectives…
Miranda Thomas Pottery: A Labor of Love
Ceramics Monthly, October 2020
Miranda Thomas is in it for the long haul. Working from her pottery at the historic Bridgewater Mill in Woodstock, Vermont, Miranda Thomas and her team have been champions of the handmade for thirty-two years and have built a successful operation that has put her designs…
Arthur’s Garden
Ceramics Monthly, September 2019
Bedecked with flora, fauna and other seemingly random objects, Arthur Halvorsen’s colorful terracotta pots relay a personal narrative that is full of flavor, excess, fun and joy. His lavish surfaces, crafted through layers of monoprinted newsprint “stickers,” reflect his upbringing and the people…
Making the Unseen Seen: Julia Galloway’s Endangered Species Project
Ceramics Monthly, October 2019
Using pottery to make a statement is not a new idea. The artist as social activist or visual philosopher trying to change the world is often a misnomer, especially since the stage on which to “speak” for an artist, especially a potter, is often not vast enough to influence real change…
Theaster Gates: Black Vessel
Ceramics Monthly, March 2021
After nine months of distancing myself from New York City in its entirety, I masked up and drove to town this fall to see Theaster Gates’ first-ever solo exhibition in New York. In the heart of Chelsea at the prestigious Gagosian Gallery, Black Vessel put ceramics - and its ability to convey a powerful message - centerstage.
A Material World: Janice Jakielski’s Impossible Objects
Ceramics Monthly, January 2021
From a young age, Janice Jakielski was taught to use her hands to change the world. And when you look at her exquisite ceramic objects, she will certainly rock your world.
A Delicate Balance: Paul Briggs
Ceramics Monthly, February 2021
Paul Briggs makes art the way he lives his life - as if the world mattered. From the outside looking in (which these days most often means via social media), you’ll see that Briggs is a dedicated ceramic artist and educator with two active bodies of work; abstract organic pinch-formed vessels and highly contemplative slab-built sculptures exploring issues around social justice.
Janina Myronova: Character Counts
Ceramics Monthly, November 2021
Rising star Janina Myronova and her colorful rosy-cheeked ceramic figurative sculptures are moving around the world, capturing new characters and telling their stories along the way.