Where do you look for inspiration? | June 21, 2012

[Carolyn Dorr]

I just returned from the Potters Council Ceramics in Tuscany II trip, and thought this question appropriate.

 

Where do you look for inspiration?

 

This question came up many times... some look to the past, some techniques, some traveling and experiencing new cultures.... What I do know is that everyone was anxious to get back to their studio to see how their work will be changed by their trip to Italy.

 

[Denice]

I just returned from the Potters Council Ceramics in Tuscany II trip, and thought this question appropriate.

 

Where do you look for inspiration?

 

This question came up many times... some look to the past, some techniques, some traveling and experiencing new cultures.... What I do know is that everyone was anxious to get back to their studio to see how their work will be changed by their trip to Italy.

 

 

 

Like many potters I look for inspiration in the past and nature but I also look at historical architecture and automobiles. My husband's hobby is restoring muscle cars and we attend a lot of car shows, while he talks about motors I sit and sketch interesting shapes on the cars made by the designers in Detroit. Denice

[TJR]

I am constantly looking at other potters' work. Since I work alone in my studio, I search on youtube for other pottery sites. I like Ron Philbeck's blog, and there is an English slipware potter whose work I like. If I can't sleep at night, I fire up the old computer and search for wood kilns, wood fired pottery, pottery, wood fired pizza ovens, wood-fired hot tubs, solar water heaters, earth bermed houses. etc. You can get way off topic really fast.

I carry a hunk of paper in my back pocket and sketch ideas. I was in a liquor store in North Dakota and came across a great fish design on a wine bottle. I had no paper, no camera-and now I can't recall that label design. We don't carry that type of wine in Canada. Am I whining? I hope not.

When in book stores, I can be found in the craft section. I write down glaze recipes to test.I browse all the ceramic mags and have a subscription to Ceramics Monthly, although lately I haven't been very inspired by the work within.

I guess you could say that I am always searching, but isn't that the nature of being an artist? It's all about the search.

TJR.

That English potter is Doug Fitch. Some great videos.

T.

[Matt Oz]

Like many potters I look for inspiration in the past and nature but I also look at historical architecture and automobiles. My husband's hobby is restoring muscle cars and we attend a lot of car shows, while he talks about motors I sit and sketch interesting shapes on the cars made by the designers in Detroit. Denice

 

 

This reminds me, I used to go to a pottery lab in the Metro Detroit area. There were a few automotive engineers and designers that went there too, one of them was a retired head designer for Chrysler, he even designed the Jeep Cherokee, of course he made nice pots too.

[Marcia Selsor]

I am influenced by my surroundings. Nature plays a big role in much of my work. The environment, architecture and our human psyche all influence my creative impulses.

Marcia

 

 

[teardrop]

Up until now I've hit Google and many, many ceramic sites to garner ideas.

 

but last week when I was a bit stymied for an idea, I sat by my waterfall and meditated...thinking about my late son's glasswork and some of the forms he was creating before he passed...and a vision of this pitcher popped into my head.

 

I've since made about a dozen of them... all are bisqued and ready for glaze.

 

makin' klunk through the tears...

 

teardrop