What Inspires You: An Interview With One Clay Bead.

by One Clay Bead on Etsy

1. Please tell us a little bit about what you do. 

I make heirloom quality stoneware pottery using the wheel and hand building techniques. The pieces are designed to evoke and hold memories as they are passed down through generations. Most of my work is visually appealing to children for this reason. Just as I recall the Rookwood vases and figures on my Nana's mantle, my work will remind young ones today of their early home life when they are older.

by One Clay Bead on Etsy

2. You mentioned that your work "emerges from the beauty of the Blue Ridge mountains where you live." Specifically, how is your work informed by your setting?


I don't like to overthink inspiration. That my work emerges from my environment is an observation made over time. I work very intuitively, and am sometimes awed by the resemblance to the roll of land, color palette of the changing seasons, and organic gestures in both my work and mountain home.

by One Clay Bead on Etsy

3. I am really intrigued by your glaze work. How do you come up with colors and concepts for glazing? Does it happen organically through experimentation, or do you plan how it will happen?


Glazing is more left brain than you might think. I study how molecular structures recombine in heat, thermal expansion and contraction, things like that.The visual part is much, much easier I have an insane number of glazes mixed up, and run tests constantly. When I see something I like, I use it on a pot.

by One Clay Bead on Etsy

4. Keeping our work fresh means constantly seeking new sources of inspiration. Where do you look to find it and/ or what kinds of sources most inspire you?


My inspiration doesn't come from seeking sources, like being on a quest for inspiration. I just open myself to what's there. It's all about being open! I've learned this through decades of Buddhist mindfulness meditation, and hours of silence in my studio.

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