Annual Southern Gentleman® Issue
Whether handbuilding or throwing on the wheel, working with clay is more than just a craft – it’s a fine art. Here, we chat with five talented ceramicists in the area to find out what makes this art form so special. Read on to learn how they began their journey with ceramics, what types of products they make, and so much more.
Photography by Vityl Media
Two in the Hand
Shot on Location at Scenic City Clay Arts
I was a sculpture major in college focusing on the figure. Most of this work was using clay as a medium. Over time, I moved away from clay and the figure and into abstract constructions using various media. In the last few years, I found myself being called back to work with clay. Here in Chattanooga, with Scenic City Clay Arts as an amazing resource, I have thrown myself into the traditional ceramic modes of handbuilding and wheelthrowing.
In handbuilding, I find myself making vessels that focus on texture and treating glaze in a painterly manner. In the process, functionality often gives way to aesthetic. In wheelthrowing, I have enjoyed making tumblers that, once dry enough, are whittled and carved down so that they eventually deny having been thrown on the wheel. Things that are seemingly random and rough around the edges are appealing to me. Entropy equals beauty.
Cheerfully brutal.
The Ark. Constructing this piece was a fluid communication between the clay and myself. However, after it was bisque fired, I had absolutely no clue as to how I should glaze it. I had many fitful nights trying to work it out, and eventually, we agreed on a good solution.
Be thoughtful, but don’t overthink things. Take risks and be willing to fail. Don’t be precious. Do the work (practice, practice, practice), and then trust yourself.
Ceramics has been a revelation for me in making art. The medium is infinite in its possibilities and so enjoyably organic in its essence that I have felt a looseness and exploratory sense that I have struggled to find in other media. Consequently, the greatest challenge is maintaining focus and purpose.
Forman Pottery
I worked with clay for the first time in high school in central Florida, but truly fell in love with it when I moved to Chattanooga for college and worked alongside my sister who moved here to study ceramics. The first few months that I was growing my business post-graduation, I snuck in through a window in my school’s art facility. Two years later, I was able to make it a full-time gig (and in my own studio).
I’m what is called a “production potter,” meaning that I make a lot of functional, non-fussy pieces for everyday use. My primary product is coffee mugs, which I’m constantly trying to perfect. I think that simple pursuit, which is forever changing with my ever-evolving concept of form, is one of the primary things that drives my passion. My ideal mug has gone back and forth from thick to thin, textured to smooth, stubby to tall, thin handles to beefy ones, constantly changing over the years. It helps keep me humble in my craft knowing that history shows that I never seem to arrive at an ideal. I hope that each iteration shows signs of maturity, though.
I’ve made a practice of making special pieces (usually vases) for people I know who are going through a hard season. I pray over the pieces and for the individuals as I’m making them, and I usually finish with some kind of inscription on the bottom. It’s been moving for me in those moments and very moving when presenting them.
In the 15 years that I’ve been running my business here, I’ve seen a tremendous uptick in the number of folks working with clay and forging careers in it. I’d love to see Chattanooga become a hub in the region for ceramic work. We (potters) all win if people start thinking of ceramics and Chattanooga as an inseparable pair.
Oyate Pottery
I started working with ceramics after I turned 60, just looking for a new hobby. I joined a community college in Reno, NV. From this class, I was able to learn several different styles of pottery and glazing. My job put me on the road nationally, and I used that opportunity to visit studios in most major U.S. cities. I continue to learn from YouTube and continue to check out the bisque releases in the studio to get ideas. I also visit Seagrove, NC, periodically to tour the many studios there and sometimes just to soak up the atmosphere.
I primarily throw simple bowls and pots, though my real focus is on the more ancient glazing methods like pit firing and Raku. Pit firing is the oldest method of glazing, and pots with some decorations have been dated many thousands of years ago. The uniqueness of every piece makes the process even more interesting and results are never the same twice. Raku though, in all its forms, remains my greatest interest. Invented in Japan in 1580 and brought to the U.S. in the early ‘50s by Paul Soldner, Raku is a fast-firing method, which is then activated by smoke. The finished pieces are available in less than an hour, and the results allow for constant adjustments and improvements – at least most of the time. The real challenge is in creating and fine-tuning glaze applications to produce a startling result, so this is where I concentrate most of my efforts. With my wife’s help, we can produce up to 15 finished pieces in a morning’s work.
I am really a compilation of potters I have sat with and asked questions while they threw, and I have never met anyone who was reluctant to share. I do remember one potter who stood out, Joe Winter. I was able to participate in his wood firing periodically in Reno, and he would always throw pieces to demonstrate different techniques. Ceramics seems to make for very friendly, helpful folks, and I am pleased to be able to work in an open, productive environment like Scenic City Clay Arts here in Chattanooga.
Austin Center Studio
My artistic journey has always been about creating work that tells stories, evokes emotion, and fosters connection. It began in Ms. Philips’ art classes at The Bright School, where I experimented with painting, sculpture, and ceramics. At Baylor School, I studied under master ceramicist Sinclair “Bill” Ashley. Working with him, I learned techniques I still use today, helped set up for craft fairs and art shows, and was even told I was “third-generation Bauhaus” – a nod to the lineage from George Cress, who studied in Germany at the Bauhaus. When I was 15, my parents surprised me with a potter’s wheel and an old kiln, giving me the tools and encouragement to pursue ceramics seriously.
In my studio, I let inspiration guide me. I respond to the materials, my thoughts, and my feelings in the moment, allowing them to shape the work as it emerges. Sometimes a piece flows effortlessly, capturing exactly what I see in my mind’s eye; other times, I wrestle with translating that vision into the clay. That tension between intuition and challenge is an essential part of my creative process.
I find inspiration in the people I meet, and that energy often guides my work. My style is rooted in traditional ceramic techniques, but I allow the materials themselves to lead me to the final piece – a process of creating fully in the moment. Rather than beginning with a fixed idea and “coloring in the lines,” I let the clay set the direction. My hands and fingers respond to its movement and resistance, testing its boundaries as the form emerges. This way of working keeps my art alive, immediate, and deeply connected to both material and moment.
One common misconception is that ceramics are only a “craft” rather than a form of fine art. While clay has long been associated with functional objects, many artists today use it to create powerful sculptures and contemporary works that push the boundaries of artistic expression. Clay deserves to be seen alongside metal, stone, and other materials traditionally recognized as fine art. It is a medium of limitless possibility – capable of carrying history, emotion, and innovation in equal measure.
Lookout Mountain Pottery
For some reason, I’ve always enjoyed making mugs, and I think my mugs are the best. I also make a lot of bonsai containers, which I’ve been doing for a long time. I make functional ware, including kerosene lamps, bowls, mugs, platters, and all kinds of different stuff. I mix my own clay for a lot of my work.
I got a grant at the University of Miami to do a lot of salt glazing. I still have many pieces from that time that I think are really incredible, and I love them. With salt glazing, you throw salt in the kiln at 2,350°, and the sodium in the salt reacts with the silica in the clay to create the glaze.
If I’m making my own clay, that starts with mixing the clay, letting it age for at least a few weeks, and then throwing on the wheel, with making handles and trimming the next day. It sits around for a week or two, and then I bisque fire it. It takes about four bisque loads to fill my gas kiln, and I spray the pieces with ash glazes before firing them in my gas kiln or in my wood kiln.
It’s satisfying to start with just clay and turn it into something useful and functional that looks great and lasts forever. Every time I open up a kiln, I have no idea what it’s going to look like. I have a ballpark idea in my mind, but you never know. Any other potter will tell you the same thing – it’s like Christmas every time you open up a kiln.
I hope people keep buying pieces of handmade pottery and using them, not just letting them collect dust. If anyone wants to come visit my studio, I’ll show them my process, including firing the kiln, using ash glaze, and mixing clay.
