(This is old news! For a current list, see the Top Pottery Blogs of 2015.)
The best ceramics and pottery blogs of the past year have been chosen!* Does your favorite make the list?
2013 is the fourth year this list has been put together. View the others if you missed them: 2010, 2011, 2012.
The following blogs were the most mentioned in the Clay Blog Review, a monthly compilation of the best clay blogging.
12. FetishGhost’s Secret Studio
author: FetishGhost (Joel Blum)
mentions in the Clay Blog Review: 30
url: http://fetishghost.blogspot.com/
FetishGhost shared a nice mix of technical information, work in progress and photos of his fantastic finished work.
(tie) 10. Rachel Dorn Ceramic Sculpture
author: Rachel Dorn
mentions in the Clay Blog Review: 32
url: http://racheldorn.blogspot.com/
Rachel posted a lot of images of her work as she was creating it. It was interesting to see her make the parts and then show how they all fit together.
(tie) 10. Whynot Pottery Blog
author: Mark & Meridith Heywood
mentions in the Clay Blog Review: 32
url: http://whynotpotteryblog.blogspot.com/
Mark and Meredith showed a lot of work in progress and offered some good tips for other potters over the past year.
(tie) 8. Future Relics Gallery
author: Lori Buff
mentions in the Clay Blog Review: 33
url: http://futurerelicsstudio.blogspot.com/
Lori had a nice variety of content on her blog in 2013. And much of it was of the “Can’t Miss” variety in the Clay Blog Review.
(tie) 8. A Love Affair With Clay
author: Marian Williams
mentions in the Clay Blog Review: 33
url: http://www.marianwilliamspottery.com/
Marian Williams shared a lot of great information on her blog including many of her great experiences as a potter in Australia.
7. Tony Clennell
author: Tony Clennell
mentions in the Clay Blog Review: 43
url: http://smokieclennell.blogspot.com/
Tony Clennell has found the perfect format for pottery blogging. His posts are usually brief, informative and often funny with a couple great photos. Good reading.
6. Fine Mess Pottery
author: Lori Watts
mentions in the Clay Blog Review: 44
url: http://finemessblog.blogspot.com/
Lori shared a lot of great tips about her techniques during the whole year. A great blog to learn about making pottery.
5. Tales of a Red Clay Rambler
author: Ben Carter
mentions in the Clay Blog Review: 47
url: http://carterpottery.blogspot.com/
Ben Carter is the premiere site for pottery podcasts. He usually posts a couple interviews of other potters every month. Great for studio listening!
4. Musing About Mud
author: Carole Epp
mentions in the Clay Blog Review: 54
url: http://musingaboutmud.blogspot.com/
Musing About Mud is a must read for anyone involved with pottery. Carole posts a range of great content including videos, current events and shows, residencies, job opportunities and more.
3. Clay Club
author: multiple, including John Britt and Emily Reason
mentions in the Clay Blog Review: 63
url: http://ncclayclub.blogspot.com/
The Clay Club blog is the combined effort of a group of potters in North Carolina. John Britt posts most frequently and offers glaze recipes, tips and other technical information along with interesting happenings for potters, especially in the Carolina area.
And now…
The moment you’ve all been waiting for!
The Award for Best Pottery Blog of the Year goes to…
TWO blogs! We have a tie!! (Really, as unbelievable as it is, both blogs had the same exact number of contributions when I counted them up.) And they cover quite a range of content.
(tie) 1. Fire When Ready Pottery
author: Gary Jackson
mentions in the Clay Blog Review: 74
url: http://firewhenreadypottery.com/
If you prefer images, work in progress and texture (oh, the textures!) you don’t want to miss Gary’s blog. He posts fantastic images of the pots he is making and shows how he uses his stamps to create such interesting patterns.
(tie) 1. Carter Gillies Pottery
author: Carter Gillies
mentions in the Clay Blog Review: 74
url: http://cartergilliespottery.wordpress.com/
Carter Gillies concentrates more on the written word. The resident philosopher of craft and creativity, he offers many thought provoking posts which might change the way you look at things, or at least make you take a deeper look at them.
Honorable Mention
The following blogs are quite awesome as well, in fact they were the next highest ranked on the list. There are plenty of other deserving blogs as well so be sure to check out the Clay Blog Review each month and see what they have to offer.
- Art by Fuzzy – Brandon “Fuzzy” Schwartz (obvious bias)
- Sawdust & Dirt – Michael Kline
- Tracey Broome
- Brian R. Jones
- The Rabbit Muse – Nancy Schindler Adams
- This Week at St. Earth – Scott Cooper
- Bridges Pottery – Patricia Bridges
- DirtKicker Pottery – Cindy Gilliland
- Matt’s Ceramic Action – Matt Fiske
- Good Elephant Pottery – Mea Rhee
- Ang Design Blog – Angela Walford
- Paul the Potter – Paul Jessop
- Whistle Creek – Dennis Allen
Thanks to ALL the bloggers who share so much through their blogs!
Badges for Pottery Blogs
So, you made it on the list, now what? How about bragging a little bit? Use these images however you like, no restrictions. Perfect for showing everyone that you have an award winning blog! Congrats!
Who Contributed What?
If this thing works, you’ll see an interactive chart below showing which blogs contributed which kind of content. If you don’t see it, here’s a link: http://infogr.am/top-12-cbr-contributors
Disclaimer
* This, of course, is a completely subjective process. Actually, compiling this list is pretty objective but picking items for the Clay Blog Review is completely my opinion. I’m sure that I’ve missed plenty of great stuff. And I’m sure there are blogs out there that I’m not aware of. (If you know of one, let me know here or here! The blogs that I AM aware of are on the master list.)
I just hope that this list sparks some new interest in the pottery blogs and rewards them for all their effort. As a wise man once said, “Bloggin’ ain’t easy!”
So go, read these blogs, subscribe to them and leave comments or questions. And I’ll see you next month for the Clay Blog Review.
Thanks Brandon. I really appreciate all you do compiling the blogs each month. You make it easier for people like me who want to see what’s been going on but don’t always have the time. I also appreciate your support of my blog.
Hey Lori,
Glad I can be of service! Thanks for your support as well. And keep up the awesome work on your blog and with your clay!
Wow, delightful to see. Your blog is new to me, wonderful!
Hey Gary,
Thanks for stopping by. I re-added your blog to my reading list. I know it was on there at some point but somehow I haven’t been reading your stuff lately. I’m sure you’ll have some good stuff in the Clay Blog Review!
Brandon, I’m super excited that my blog was listed in the “Honorable Mentions”!
Thank you for all your hard work.
🙂 Cindy
Hey Cindy,
Thanks for all the great stuff you share on your blog! And thanks for supporting this site. I wish you continued success with your clay and with your blog!
I see many blogs. Where can I find information about reliability (advantages and disadvantages) of a Bailey power extruder for a classroom?
Very nice you are runing blog for creative people.