Guillermo Cuellar - Host Potter
I fell in love with the potter's wheel in college. Inspired by Bernard Leach’s A Potter's Book, I wanted to become a part of the historical sweep of this ancient and vital art.
Traveling in Venezuela where I was born, I came across the baskets, pots, weaving, and woodwork of native Indian people. It was not only the handwork I loved but also how these pieces brought people together, as the focus of almost every activity. The way these people integrated their art with their lives remains an ideal to me. I make pots for daily use mainly for the preparation and sharing of food.
I am in love with the way clay moves on the wheel. Making a series of similar pieces, I look for ways to alter a basic thrown form to reveal the nature of hands and clay, I look to generate an organic quality, interesting tensions, or surprises. Often this happens directly on the freshly thrown piece by altering, i.e., pinching, denting, incising, stretching, squaring, or faceting. I continue to alter pieces as they dry, trimming, texturing, cutting facets, fluting, and assembling elements like handles and spouts.
I occasionally revisit forms I have made in the past or historical forms for a fresh look. Working in series allows me to repeat a form or alteration with subtle variations many times over, feeling my way, each piece building on the previous one. This evolutionary process sometimes produces surprising results. Occasionally if I am lucky enough, I will think of something “new” to try and then build on that.
My glaze kiln is an important element in the creative process. It is just unpredictable enough to keep my interest in every firing. I glaze primarily to enhance the form, so my decorations are minimal, simple trailed glazes and the interaction of glazes dipped over each other. I often use a crackle slip under glazes to create a sense of age or timelessness.
At this stage in my life and career as a potter, I mostly continue to work in the studio and occasionally teach a workshop. Group sales are a source of stress and joy. I see pots as associated with living a peaceful existence and smoothing the rough edges of contemporary life. I hope my pots encourage folks to slow down, cook, share their own delicious food, and celebrate the company of good friends and family.
18855 263rd St, Shafer, MN 55074
Showroom open all year
guillermo@guillermopottery.com
www.guillermopottery.com
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Alana Cuellar - Host Potter
I am a second generation Venezuelan-American potter living in Wisconsin. To me, handmade objects contain quiet magic that cultivates pleasure and joy. The pots I make are intended for use in everyday life.
18855 263rd St, Shafer, MN 55074
Showroom open all year
alanacuellar.com
Visit Alana's webshop
Beth Bolgla, Brooklyn, NY
I find myself more and more a citizen of the world rather than of any one particular spot. Navigating the distinct privilege of living and working in both Brooklyn, NY and LaBorne, France keeps me on my toes…which are getting pretty worn out. With all the coming and going, the constant in my life is my ceramic practice…and I am continually striving for extended periods of time when I can wake up…have a cup of coffee… and go to the studio.
I know when I get there…detached from distractions …the pots will happen. I am never short on ideas…and I am continually having to prioritize what should come first. For what ever reason I am wildly fascinated by kitchen pots…can't explain why…and I believe as a maker it’s important not to do too much questioning and explaining…so I go to the studio in an act of blind faith.
As for my working process…each new idea begins as a visual thought…usually before I even get to the studio. I almost always do a quick sketch…from that sketch I begin to have other ideas. When I arrive at the studio if I don’t have to clean up too much, I turn on some music and begin to work. It’s really pretty simple…until of course the world interferes.
Dick Cooter, Two Harbors, MN
I fire a 125 cubic foot wood burning kiln, which I consider a partner in the work. Although I choose labor intensive methods, I consider myself a production potter. I make functional pots and consider the user the final contributor to the work. In the summer of 2009 I tore my old kiln down after about 18 years and 80 fires. I built a new two chamber wood burning kiln of my design. This kiln can be seen on a link from my website.
Since childhood I've liked to make things. Over the years I've made houses, furniture, guitars, kilns, cars, motorcycles and many, many pots. I have worked variously as an auto mechanic carpenter, furniture maker and guitar maker as well as a potter.
I attended the University of Iowa and the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, majored in art and studied ceramics with Warren Mackenzie and John Reeve.
The pots I make are sturdy, bold, and reflect the processes of making them. Simple decoration enhances the rich surface created by long wood fires. The traces of the artist's hand is both an antidote and protest to increasing uniformity. Impressions made in the soft clay reveal my tie to the work and to the landscape where it is made.
...On my workshop wall are posted two quotes:
"First thought,
Best thought"
Venerable Chogyam Trungpa
"Mind is shapely,
Art is shapely"
Jack Kerouac
Nick Earl, Marine on St. Croix, MN
I make pots and am continually fascinated by the softness and reception of the clay from which they are made. When successful, these qualities translate into the finished pieces, objects that will hopefully enrich the regular ceremonies of life. I have a strong interest in art history and I try to exhibit the strength and beauty I see in old pots in my own work. Cooking is also of great interest to me, and my work being mostly functional has a lot to do with the storage, preparation, and presentation of food. My ultimate goal is to make pots that will fulfill many tasks while communicating the joy I experience while making them.
nicholas.earl@outlook.com
www.nickearlpottery.com
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Shikha Joshi, Round Rock, TX
My creative process results from an interplay between form and function. I like to explore form, to create pots with strong shapes, with the underlying guiding factor being, achievement of good functionality. The rich earthy hues strongly appeal to the artist in me, which in turn dictate the choice of my clay and glazes.
I find myself being drawn to the Japanese aesthetic of “Wabi Sabi”. Loosely translated, it means beauty in imperfection. Consequently, the surfaces of my pots have slowly transitioned from intricately carved to being rustic, earthy and organic.
I hope my pots echo the silent austere beauty and simplicity of the natural world and infuse the user with a feeling of meditative peace. Colors and textures of rocks, tree bark, algae are some of the things that inspire me and I am constantly experimenting with slips, glazes, colorants and inclusions to recreate that look. The desire to emulate the rustic surface of wood fired ceramics within the constraints of an oxidation kiln continues to guide me on my evolutionary journey as a potter.
potterybyshikha@gmail.com
www.potterybyshikha.com
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Jim Lorio, Boulder, CO
The most persistent intent in my work is a concern for “richness.” The richness in the relationship between me and the pots, the richness of form, the quality of glaze and decoration that enlivens that form, the richness of the contact of the pots with fire as they come to final form, and then the richness of the experience possible, in use, between the pots and their owners.
Pots with this capacity glow with life and live, humming, just a few fractions of an inch in the air above the surface upon which they are supposed to reside. And I love it when my pots hum.
Steve Rolf, River Falls, WI
I have made a study of making objects that fit the hand and hopefully engage the user’s eye, head, and heart as well. My work celebrates the use of these objects in the daily routine of eating, drinking, storing, and pouring.
scrolf.potter1@sbcglobal.net
scrolfpotter.com
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Sue Tirrell, Livingston, MT
Born and raised in Red Lodge, Montana, Sue Tirrell received an AA from Cottey College in Nevada, MO in 1995 and a BFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 1997. Her work draws inspiration from her experiences living in Montana and the West, her fascination with animals and interest in folk art, illustrated fairy tales and vintage kitsch. Sue’s work has been exhibited widely in the US, Canada, and Australia and she has taught ceramics and multi-media workshops across the country from college classrooms to one-room schoolhouses. Sue lives and works north of Yellowstone National Park, in Montana’s Paradise Valley.
Minsoo Yuh, Athens, GA
Minsoo Yuh was born and raised in Seoul, Korea. She earned her BFA and MFA in ceramics from Hongik University. After completing her education, Minsoo relocated to the United States and has since been working with clay. Currently based in Athens, GA, Minsoo thrives as a full-time studio potter while teaching workshops and classes. She presents her work through gallery exhibitions and pottery tours nationwide while also actively participating in various art residencies.
Her work is a reflection of her journey of self-examination and personal growth, exploring the depth of humanity, nature, and life through the inspiration derived from the intrinsic quality of clay and nature's elements.
Minsoo writes, “I am fascinated by the spontaneous lines, forms, and spaces I find in nature and objects and the depth and character within them that show the passage of time. I am also inspired and influenced by Korean traditional ceramics, which embraces the beauty of simplicity, vitality, profoundness, and imperfections. This intrinsic beauty, which requires time, dedication to mastering techniques, and understanding the materials and spontaneity of the process of creation, is what I value and strive for in my work. In terms of state of mind and physical creativity, spontaneity and vitality empowered by balance and harmony is one of the important elements of my work process.”
minsooyuh@gmail.com
www.minsooyuhceramics.com
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