521: Christi Ruffin on the joy of collecting ceramics

Celia Feldberg decorates her pots with vibrant sgraffito drawings of animals in human situations. With a light-hearted touch she talks about relationship dynamics and highlights the small beauty in every day life. In our interview we talk about refining her drawing style on clay, depicting love in all its forms, and being a resident artist at The Clay Studio in Philadelphia. www.celiafeldberg.com   We also discuss the research she conducted for my book The Complete Guide to Low-Fire Glazes for Potters and Sculptors. She was my assistant and a valuable sounding board as I was writing the book. It was wonderful to share the success and struggle of the project with such a talented artist.   Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors: Michiana Pottery Tour www.michianapotterytour.com The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic Art www.Rosenfieldcollection.com Cornell Studio Supply www.cornellstudiosupply.com Archie Bray Residencies www.archiebray.org  

Christy Culp’s terra cotta pots are decorated with blue berries, carrots, and other motifs that come from her western Pennsylvania farm. In our interview we talk about her decades long career as a high school ceramics teacher, building a dream studio out of a late 1800’s barn that was on the farm, and how her yoga practice supports her ceramic practice.   In our interview we also talk about Christy’s work in my book The Complete Guide to Low-Fire Glazes for Potters and Sculptors. The book was officially released this week and is now available where fine books are sold.   Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors: Michiana Pottery Tour www.michianapotterytour.com The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic Art www.Rosenfieldcollection.com Cornell Studio Supply www.cornellstudiosupply.com Bray Clay www.archiebrayclay.com  

Camille Dungy is an award-winning poet, writer, and host of the podcast Immaterial: 5,000 Years of Art, One Material at a Time from the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In our interview we talk about Immaterial and their approach to art and story telling. We also talk about her passion for gardening, and her most recent book Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden. This episode also features an excerpt from the Immaterial episode Stone: Making and Breaking Legacies. To hear the rest of that episode follow and subscribe to Immaterial on your favorite podcast app. Many thanks to Metropolitan Museum of Art for sponsoring this episode of the show. My upcoming book The Complete Guide to Low-Fire Glazes for Potters and Sculptors has its official release on September 10 and is now available for pre-order. Get your copy today on Amazon or where ever fine books are sold.   Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors: Metropolitan Museum of Art www.metmuseum.org Michiana Pottery Tour www.michianapotterytour.com The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic Art www.Rosenfieldcollection.com Cornell Studio Supply www.cornellstudiosupply.com Bray Clay www.archiebrayclay.com  

Christi Ruffin is an avid collector of ceramics, and by that, I mean she is obsessed. I recently got to visit her home in Charlotte, NC and hold many of the pieces that make up her collection of over 3,000 pots. In our interview we talk about forming relationships with artists, insuring and documenting a ceramic collection, and how the pandemic helped accelerate her collecting habit. To see the collection you can follow Christi on Instagram at pottery.addict.   Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors: The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic Art www.Rosenfieldcollection.com Cornell Studio Supply www.cornellstudiosupply.com Bray Clay www.archiebrayclay.com

Yoshi Fuji spends hours carving intricate patterns drawn from kimono and Japanese wrapping paper on each of his forms. In our interview we talk about his approach to pattern and his relationship with Baltimore Clayworks, where he has been a resident, instructor, and now Director of Exhibitions. Yoshi Fuji Ceramics Baltimore Clayworks   Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors: The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic Art www.Rosenfieldcollection.com Cornell Studio Supply www.cornellstudiosupply.com Bray Clay www.archiebrayclay.com  

Rebecca and Scott Proctor formed Nom Ceramics in 2019 after years of working in the same studio. Their functional and sculptural collaborations are glazed with layers of patterns that melt together in their soda kiln firings. In our interview we talk about their path to collaboration, their method for building surfaces, and how they balance parenting with studio work. They have an exhibition of new work up now at Companion Gallery in Humbolt, TN. In addition to their studio work they also run the East Side Pot Shop, a community studio in Austin, TX. nomceramics.com   Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors: The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic Art www.Rosenfieldcollection.com 28th Annual Bray Benefit Auction July 19th-26th www.archiebray.org

John Born is an artist working in sculpture and drawing based in New York City. In his recent show at Curatorial and Co. in Sydney he showed a series of his signature composite forms made from stacked ceramic shapes. In our interview we talk about his start in ceramics, the role improvisation plays in his sculpture, and the series of portals he made for his recent exhibition. www.humblematter.com   Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors: The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic Art www.Rosenfieldcollection.com 28th Annual Bray Benefit Auction July 19th-26th www.archiebray.org  

Ashlyn Pope is a ceramic and fiber artist of Gullah descent who describes her work as representing “restriction and limitation of the Black body throughout American history, and the hope and vision to realize a different future.” In our interview we talk about integrating woven elements into ceramic vessels, educating through art, and her recent fiber portraits of afrofuturist queens. Ashlyn is an Assistant Professor, and Associate Director of the Joyner Institute for Gullah and African Diaspora Studies at Coastal Carolina University. ashlynpope.com   Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors: The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic Art www.Rosenfieldcollection.com Cornell Studio Supply www.cornellstudiosupply.com Bray Clay www.archiebrayclay.com  

Rhonda Willers uses functional pottery, sculptural vessels, and installation to focus on ideas of fragility and the passage of time. In our interview we talk about her 2019 installation Alone Together, her work in ceramics, and her book Terra Sigillata: Contemporary Techniques. We also discuss her philosophy of service work and her podcast The Artist in Me is Dead, which traces creativity through the lives of makers. www.rhondawillers.com.   Rhonda is one of many artists featured in my upcoming book The Complete Guide to Low-Fire Glazes for Potters and Sculptors. The book has its official release on September 10 and is now available for pre-order.   Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors: The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic Art www.Rosenfieldcollection.com Cornell Studio Supply www.cornellstudiosupply.com Bray Clay www.archiebrayclay.com

Nick Lenker draws from video games to make ceramic sculptures that seem to have jumped right out of a pixelated computer screen into real life. In our interview we talk about his process of building with slabs before applying custom decals, investigating memory through subject matter, and how Philadelphia has shaped his creative life. www.nicklenker.com   Today’s episode is brought to you by the following sponsors: The Rosenfield Collection of Functional Ceramic Art www.Rosenfieldcollection.com Cornell Studio Supply www.cornellstudiosupply.com Bray Clay www.archiebrayclay.com