If You Don’t Change Up the Scenery, it’s Hard to Fly
David Sheldon has loved birds ever since he was a kid. He calls them “nature’s magical faeries,” and still owns his original copy of…
Trial and Error Pointed Knife Maker in the Right Direction
An early attempt at making a knife ended in a painful lesson for Ryan Pepper. Sharpening the blade too early in the process, “I…
Not Being an Architect is One Way to Make Famous Buildings
For an art show early in his career, Holden McCurry made a two-foot-tall clay structure, topped it with clasped hands, and titled it “Prayer…
Porcelain Potter has Secured an Unbreakable Legacy
Michael Hofman took a lot of clay classes in college because, he jokes, the potters had the best parties. “They were always walking around…
Flights of Fancy are Rarely Ever So Direct
Cleaster Cotton explains that her first name rhymes with “fiesta,” and her Winged Narratives paintings have an animated folk-art quality about them that clinches…
He was Swept Away by Front Porch Epiphanies
Andrew Goodheart Brown says he was initially attracted to broom making when he realized he could create something beautiful and, at the same time,…
How to Outfox the Pressures of Art Making
Some of Andy Farkas’ work is inspired by stories he’s written or told to his daughters. But despite their folkloric quality, his prints…
One-Man Factory is Continually Stoked for the Next Project
Josh Copus is a successful ceramic artist, and, with his wife Emily, a commercial flower grower (she’s their company’s head designer). But he refuses…
A Realistic Impressionist Knows How to Color All the Bases
He was only nine when he saw the original Star Wars, back in 1977. But instead of being mesmerized by the aliens, creatures, and…
For a Healthy Relationship, Let the Kiln have the Last Word
Shawn Ireland’s exciting partnership with clay involves struggle and surrender. “It challenges me … but being open to where it will take me keeps…