Welcome back to the Clay Blog Review. Or if it’s your first time, thanks for taking a look. This is where you will find some of the best pottery blogging from the past month. If you missed last month, you can go see the Clay Blog Review: April 2016.
May was a busy month for the pottery bloggers. Lots of great work coming out of the kilns, prepping for and attending festivals, wrapping up the school year, pictures of flowers and sunshine, and even a new book!
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The Can’t Miss
What were the “must read” pottery blog posts during the past month?
- Carol Clarkson Pottery Blog: Water Color Green (Steven Hill)
- Big Ceramic Store: Liquid Latex For Design and Protection
- Anna’s Ceramics: Wedding Favours – a technique using moulds
- Big Ceramic Store: Darts For Aesthetics
- Ceramic Artists Now: AKAR’s Yunomi Invitational Isn’t about TeaBowls… It’s WAY more Interesting
- Big Ceramic Store: Sgraffito in Terra Sigillata With BCS Customer Lisa Harnish – Part 1
- Barnbarroch Pottery: Mega making – the run up to Spring Fling
- John Britt Pottery: Great article on bisque
- CFile: Fashion | Hit the Block in a Pair of Porcelain-Inspired Sneakers
- Pottery Making Blog: Mastering the Potter’s Wheel by Ben Carter – Book Review
If you haven’t considered Ben Carter’s new book “Mastering the Potter’s Wheel” you should definitely take a look. It is fantastic!

Mastering the Potter’s Wheel by Ben Carter
Process and Technique
What do pots look like during the process and how are they made?
- Dawn Whitehand: Sunday Studio Visit – making stuff and the end of NaPoWriMo
- Gary Jackson: The Monthly Holiday Ornament Challenge : April
- Linda Starr: Mug Shot Monday
- meesh’s pottery: Glazing Ginkgo Leaf Pots
- lisa w.b. walker: Still Life / Life Still
- Zygote Blum: Procession
- Zygote Blum: Dreaming Anne
- Shaun Hall’s Raku Ceramics Blogspot: Making pots for USA “trip”
- Gillian McMillan — Rara Avis: Bill Thompson paints a plate
- meesh’s pottery: Catching Up
- Peter Gregory: A Commission Completed, and something to look forward to.
- Big Ceramic Store: Making Cupcakes With A Pinch Pot And Coils
- meesh’s pottery: Getting Wild
- Barb Rogers: It’s a Process!
- Gary Jackson: Glazed & Confused
- Ron Philbeck Pottery: I Love You; I Hate You
It’s all a balance. Give and take. I don’t think you can have it all in this clay game. Once you think you may have it then just wait, you’ll be rudely awakened with some cracked pots, an over fired bisque, glaze crawling, or another of the thousands of things that can happen.
- Tony Clennell: Bruce Almighty
- Jenny Mendes: Progression
- Barb Rogers: Nouveau Two
- Gillian McMillan — Rara Avis: Friends in my studio
- Ron Philbeck Pottery: I Made It Through the Week and Didn’t Kill My Clay
- bridges pottery blog: Mishima Technique
- Kim Murton: 3 stages for cobalt- painting on greenware, bisque and glaze
- Barb Rogers: Barb’s birds and bees
- John Bauman: Things Aren’t Always What They Seem
- Jenny Mendes: How Was it Made? An Agate Teapot by Michelle Erickson
- The Smart Cat: Little Dishes and Columbine
- Gary Jackson: My Little Over-Achievers
- Big Ceramic Store: Sgraffito in Terra Sigillata With BCS Customer Lisa Harnish – Part 2
- Carole Epp: movie day: Luminescent Vessels by NISATO Akio
- Tony Clennell: Scribble, scribble, edit, scribble, scribble, edit
- Rachel Dorn: Raku Firing During Class
- Whynot Pottery: This is what happens when you
- Lori Watts: My Beautiful Balloon Basket
- Tony Clennell: Worn Down
- Peter Gregory: Owls taking refuge, something odd, and high fire glazes!
- Carol Clarkson: Cold Finish Elk
- Tony Clennell: Circumcision Preferred
Tips and Technical
How can I become a more efficient or knowledgeable potter?
- Bushcrafting and Homesteading: Primitive Pottery: Step by Step
- Bushcrafting and Homesteading: Ceramics: Beyond the Basics
- Big Ceramic Store: How To Sharpen Ribbon-Trim-Sculpting Tools
- Bushcrafting and Homesteading: Advanced Black Pottery
- Bushcrafting and Homesteading: The $30 Anagama Kiln
- Tony Clennell: BC Bud
- Blog – objective clay: How to glaze a cup
- Carol Clarkson: Water Color Green (Steven Hill)
- bfree pottery: cutting shelves
- Big Ceramic Store: Simple Techniques For Painting Your Pots With Underglaze
- Jenni Ward: Clay in the Classroom: Glaze Tags
- Jose Maria Mariscal: GALAXY GLAZE
- Gary Jackson: A Mish-Mash Of Reclaim Clays
- Gary Jackson: Go Vertical
- Carol Clarkson: Copper Ash Glaze Recipe ( Steven Hill)
- Jenni Ward: Clay in the Classroom: Recycling Clay
Finished Work
Where can I see inspiring pottery?
- weddwould: fresh
- Rachel Dorn: Spring Firing Results
- Barb Rogers: Going to a show
- Blog – Clay By Laura: You’ve Got A Friend…
- Gary Jackson: Mugshot Monday
- Big Ceramic Store: BCS Customers Show Us Their Work – Group 6
- Patricia Griffin Ceramics: Having a whale of a time!
- Kyle Carpenter: Nice vase of mine out of Michael Kline’s (@klineola) new soda kiln. Always interesting to see your work in someone else’s kiln. Sometimes it’s not very good. In this case, it’s great. Thanks MK! #sodafired #828isgreat
- WALLYWARE: Sexy Pots, Stupid Selfies and More!
- meesh’s pottery: Firing #2
- Craig Hartenberger Ceramics: COLOR
- Lori Buff: New Pots
- CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Exhibition | New Steen Ipsen Works at NeC Gallery and Art Paris
- planetabarro: muyminis !!!
- Kim Murton: Recent firing- collecting work for a few summer events
- bridges pottery blog: Hot from the Kiln
- Barb Rogers: Pottery just oozing along
- meesh’s pottery: Second Look
- Gary Rith: a BIG shift…
- Gary Rith: the paradigm shift…
- Zygote Blum: Quiet Place
- Zygote Blum: Discord and Unity
- Carole Epp: monday morning eye candy: Anima Roos
- Blog – Clay By Laura: Full Time Part Time
- CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Design | Hypnotizing Digitally-Assisted “Dancing Dune” by AEO Studio
- meesh’s pottery: Third Times a Charm!
- Gary Rith: slipped…..
- Earth Work: A new website and a good May firing
- bfree pottery: Shino firing
- Gaea Ceramic Bead and Art Studio Blog: New Sets and a Giveaway…
- Bruce Gholson and Samantha Henneke: Samantha Henneke Yunomis AKAR Design
- Whynot Pottery: Tiles
- Gary Rith: “you made vases that look like Jessica Rabbit”
- Brian Harper: CONNECT – IUS Ceramics exhibition
- CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Exhibition | “Defacing Adversity: The Life and Times of Roberto Lugo” at Wexler Gallery
- CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Exhibition | Isa Melsheimer Reveals the Hidden Natures of Forgotten Buildings
- Bruce Gholson and Samantha Henneke: Bruce Gholson – AKAR Yunomi Invitational
- At the water’s edge! Beachfront Pottery blog: Ceramic art pieces in the “Michi” traveling exhibit, Part 4
- Gaea Ceramic Bead and Art Studio Blog: New to my Indiemade Shop…
- Jenni Ward: New Video: Tide Pool Series
- Carole Epp: monday morning eye candy: Malcolm Mobutu Smith
- Gary Jackson: Adding To The Collection
- pottery blog: emily murphy: Handmade plates with kid made drawings.
- Barb Rogers: A bit Nouveau
- Stardust Pottery Blog: Childhood Influences To My Art
- Gary Rith: feeling like a million dollars…
- Barb Rogers: Nouveau Two
- CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Design | A Dinner Set Inspired by Historic Junked Ceramics
- CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Art | Additional Selections from the work of Berlin Artist Judith Hopf
- Gary Rith: Bowlies!
- Caroline in clay: A couple of dishes
- andy priestman: Photo
- Hints and Tips for the Potter: 50. SINGING THE BLUES
- Barb Rogers: Barb’s Birds and Bees Part Two
- Carole Epp: monday morning eye candy: Japneet Kaur aka Story of a Seed
- Gaea Ceramic Bead and Art Studio Blog: Today! Giveaway and New Sets!
- Dennis Allen: Good Things Come to Those Who Wait, and Wait and Wait
- Barb Rogers: Barb’s birds and bees Part Three
- Barb Rogers: Nouveau Two vase finished
- Tim Lake Ceramics: Pots avaiable via Midgley Green
- Andrew Ludick Ceramics: Some new work for sale on the website
- Gary Jackson: My Soda-Fired Treasure Trove
- Ceramic Artists Now: Pottery by Hanako Nakazato That is Only Complete with a Meal
- CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Featured Potter | The Matte White Stillness of Kiho Kang
- weddwould: I- Con
- bfree pottery: a really…really…really long walk
- Gary Rith: porridge with peanut butter and applesauce….
- Tim Lake Ceramics: Some new pots from this weeks firing
- meesh’s pottery: Firing #4
- pots and pieces: Mark Hewitt Pottery Spring 2016 Kiln Opening, Firing Kay
- CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Spotted | Auctioneers at Play, a Vase for your Crack, Boomboxes and more!
- The Rabbit Muse: Having a blast making new things!
- Tony Clennell: Hardest Workin’ Man in Show Bizz
- Carole Epp: emerging artist: Adam Lefebvre
- flyeschool.com: May 28th 2016
- Barb Rogers: Nouveau Vase Three, before and after
- Ceramic Artists Now: Learn How to Layer Vessels on Vessels with Ashley Young
- Gillian McMillan — Rara Avis: New flock
- Carole Epp: monday morning eye candy: Renee LoPresti
- meesh’s pottery: The Count Down Begins!
- Blog – Clay By Laura: Looking For Meaning
- FetishGhost: Uniquely Common
Thoughts
What can I ponder while making pottery and ceramic art?
- CARTER GILLIES POTTERY: Repost: Maximum Beauty
- April Noble Studio: Freedom to Try
- CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Commentary | NCECA 2016 and the Politics of Cute
- Tony Clennell: Why you need a professional
- John Bauman: Riffing
- The Hopeful Potter: 21.05.16
- CARTER GILLIES POTTERY: Repost: The bitter truth about professional standards in pottery (and art)
Interviews and Podcasts
What do potters have to say?
- The Potters Cast: Makers and Sellers | Ceramic Showcase 2016 | Episode 210
- CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Interview | Jamie Hayon Opines on Tech Following Keynote Address
- Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast: 142: Roberto Lugo on mixing hip hop aesthetics into the ceramic canon
- The Potters Cast: Drips That Touch The Soul | Branan Mercer| Episode 211
- The Potters Cast: The Joy of Starting Over | Annie Chrietzberg | Episode 212
- Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast: 143: Wesley Anderegg on using humor to address the dark side of life
- The Potters Cast: Giving Art | Kim Press | Episode 213
- The Potters Cast: Social Media Testing | Joseph Travis | Episode 214
- The Potters Cast: Better Together | Jenn Gauer & Meghan Radick | Episode 215
- Tales of a Red Clay Rambler Podcast: 144: Namita Wiggers and Michael Strand on Across the Table, Across the Land
- The Potters Cast: Impact of Encouragement | Nick DeVries | Episode 216
- The Potters Cast: Starting Out | Jordan Jones | Episode 217
- The Potters Cast: Playing with Sharks | Patrick Gibson | Episode 218
Opportunities
What’s out there for potters?
- Carol Clarkson: Call for Entries/ Potter’s Council Calendar
- Kristen Kieffer: Workshops 2016
- Bungart Studios: I am excited to be leading a brush making, tool making and wood fire workshop…
- Carole Epp: call for entry: 2017 NCECA Annual Exhibition: The Evocative Garden
- Tony Clennell: Minnesota Fireball
- Carole Epp: call for entry: University of North Florida International Ceramics Exhibition
- Carole Epp: Artist in Residence at Colorado Mesa University
- CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Jobs | A Lecturer and Artist Position is Open at SUNY New Paltz
- NCECA Blog: Apply to the 2017 NCECA Annual!
The Rest
What else do potters blog about?
- bfree pottery: good ole Mondays
- CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Oddity | Gross Jug Made in High School Art Class Appraised at $50,000 by Antiques Roadshow
- FetishGhost: StockMarket Take-a-Way
- Jenni Ward: New Create with Clay PDF book
- Dennis Allen: Getting by with a Little Help from My Friends
- NCECA Blog: Opening Ceremonies and Keynote!
- Sandy Miller: I release you to greater good……… Academia!
- Mea Rhee: The Art Festival Plan, Part 4
- NCECA Blog: Fab Friday – Bryan Czibesz from the 2016 NCECA Fab Lab
- Liz Crain Ceramics: Handle With Care. Uh, Not Like That.
- Bushcrafting and Homesteading: Five Agateware Paterns for Slab Method Pottery
- Clay Club: May Clay Club recap: Ikebana pots, functional and aesthetic requirements with Lynn Forbes
- NCECA Blog: Joanna Poag Presentation
- Jenni Ward: Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust
- Peter Gregory: Bon appétit, introducing someone that loves to eat clay!!
- Dirty Girl Clayworks: more fun with photos
- Carole Epp: movie day: Artist Talk with Les Manning: Common/Opposites
- Whynot Pottery: Just the other
- NCECA Blog: Fab Friday – Shoji Satake & Anna Callouri Holcombe from the 2016 NCECA Fab Lab
- CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Fashion | Ancient Chinese Porcelain Sewn into Ceramic Dresses, Suits
- John Bauman: Dunkin’
- ang design blog: raku workshop at gallery 1855
- Dawn Whitehand: Sunday Studio Visit – studio renovations
- Blog – Clay By Laura: Join The Club!
- Marshall Colman: CERAMICS OF VIETRI SUL MARI AND THE AMALFI COAST
- NCECA Blog: Teaching to K–12: What you didn’t learn in college
- CFile – Contemporary Ceramic Art + Design: Commentary | Hacking NCECA (a Broke Student’s Guide to the Best Weekend in Clay)
- Gary Jackson: Glaze Tests
- Carole Epp: technical tuesday: Rhonda Henning’s epic page of decoration techniques
Thanks for reading! Be sure to visit some of these fine bloggers and leave a comment, subscribe to their blogs and buy their work.
Another great list – thanks for including me 🙂