Top 10 Clay Blogs – 2011

(This is old news! For a current list, see the Top Pottery Blogs of 2015.)

Another great year for the pottery blogs!  The following is an attempt to highlight some of the best* blogs written by potters and ceramic artists.  Congratulations to those that made the list and thank you for putting so much time and effort into your blog.    And… on with the list!

10. From the Ground Up

Blog Platform – Blogger

Total 2011 posts – 88

This blog by Michael Mahan out of Seagrove, NC has been online since 2008. Michael produces a variety of work, from electric fired functional ware to more artistic wood or pit fired pieces. He has a lot of good posts showing the process and some of his finished work.

 9. Future Relics Gallery

Blog Platform – Blogger

Total 2011 posts – 177

Lori Buff lives in Atlanta and has written this blog since at least 2009.  She creates functional and sculptural work by wood or raku firing wheel thrown forms.  Her work appears on the blog but she also includes a variety of other posts including thoughts about the business side of pottery, personal experiences and other pottery or art related news.

8. Musing About Mud

Blog Platform – Blogger

Total 2011 posts – 606

Carole Epp lives in Saskatoon, Canada and has written this blog since 2007.  She produces functional and sculptural work but her blog is less about her work and more about current ceramic events, exhibits, workshops and showing off work by other ceramic artists and potters.  Definitely worth reading if you want to keep up on news of the ceramics and pottery world.

7. Karatsu Pots

Blog Platform – WordPress

Total 2011 posts – Approximately 100

This blog has been written by Michael Martino since at least 2005.  He resides in Taku Japan and has been working with the traditional tools and techniques of Karatsu since 2003.  There are a good variety of posts on the blog including a lot of great information on the process, techniques, tools and work of this Karatsu potter.

6. Ron Philbeck

Blog Platform – WordPress

Total 2011 posts – Approximately 175

Ron Philbeck lives in Shelby, NC and currently works with earthenware clay.  He has been writing this blog since 2005.  He displays a lot of finished work, some pieces he is currently working on, and explains his process, often in video format.

5. Fetish Ghost’s Secret Studio

Blog Platform – Blogger

Total 2011 posts – 179

This secret studio diary has been written since 2008 by FetishGhost from Stockton, CA.  He offers images of finished work, tips and techniques and other interesting pottery related content.

4. Fire When Ready

Blog Platform – WordPress

Total 2011 posts – Close to 500

Gary Jackson of Chicago has been writing his blog since August 2008. He creates mostly wheel thrown ware and enhances his forms with intricate stamping and soda firing. He displays a lot of his finished and in-progress work but also infuses a lot of personal experiences including photos from his bike rides.

3. Fine Mess Pottery

Blog Platform – Blogger

Total 2011 posts – 137

This blog, started in late 2007, is by Lori Watts from Augusta, Maine.  Lori works with high fire stoneware and mixes her own glazes.  She does a great job of sharing a good mix of tips, technical information and her thought about the business side of pottery.

2. Blue Starr Gallery

Blog Platform – Blogger

Total 2011 posts – 337

The Blue Starr Gallery is a blog by clay artist Linda Starr who works with pinch and slab techniques. She is located in Florida and has been blogging since at least 2008. While blogging she often showcases her recent or in-progress work and offers commentary on decision making, inspiration or process.

1. NC Clay Club

Blog Platform – Blogger

Total 2011 posts – 555

The Clay Club blog has been around since at least 2008. It lists about 60 contributors but a majority of the posts in the past year have been by John Britt, glaze guru and author of The Complete Guide to High-Fire Glazes. On the blog he shares many glaze recipes and other technical knowledge. Definitely worth reading just for his posts alone.

Honorable Mention

Good Elephant Pottery – Mea Rhee

Bauman Stoneware – John Bauman

Paul the Potter – Paul Jessop

Liberty Stoneware – Brenda Hornsby Heindl

Support Your Local Potter – Brandon Phillips

Dan Finnegan – Dan Finnegan

Hobby Potter – Tammy Jo Schoppet

So there you have it.  The top clay blogs for 2011 according to Pottery Making Info.  If you are a big fan of pottery blogs be sure to check out the monthly Clay Blog Review or the potters and ceramic artists feed.  Thanks to all the great blogs about pottery and ceramics.  If you made the cut (or even you feel you should have or just want to pretend) you can add the following badge to your blog:

Re-size if necessary.  Also, there are some other color options here.

*=This list was created as objectively as possible but surely there are deserving blogs that weren’t mentioned. One of the main factors this year was how often the blog showed up in the Clay Blog Review. So how does a blog get on this list or linked in the Clay Blog Review? Well, the basic criteria is to have a blog that is useful, interesting, or inspiring to other potters or artists. All of the mentioned bloggers clearly put a lot of effort into their blogs. Regular posts + good content = great blogging.

Be sure to share any blogs that you feel should have made the list. At the very least leave a comment with the URL so others can take a look.

Here’s to a great 2012 of blogs, clay and clay blogs! Thanks for reading.