Robbie Teasdale

Kentucky potter Robbie Teasdale (he/him) credits working with clay for getting him through the most difficult periods in his life. “Clay is its own best teacher,” he says. “You cannot force it to do what you want; you have to ask nicely and then proceed to form it with care. Over time you learn its limits; if you pull a form too thin it collapses, if you dry it too fast it cracks, and if you fire it too hot it melts.”

Robbie first began working with clay in high school, while attending boarding school in Kenya. Later, as a student at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, he met his mentor Roger Jamison, who introduced him to the process of wood firing. “I prefer wood-fired pots over gas and electric fired ones,” Robbie explains, “because of the unique surfaces and colors that the flames and melting wood ash produce. In wood firing, the potter must give up control of the finished piece to the kiln. While many new technologies for firing make the process more convenient and economical, firing with wood is the most traditional way of preserving clay as ceramicware and has been practiced for millennia.”

Robbie is now actively involved in the wider community of potters in Eastern Kentucky, and connects with clay artists around the world via social media. He also teaches student potters through the Berea College apprenticeship program and leads workshops at the Appalachian Artisan Center in Hindman, Kentucky.

Kilns for wood firing are often shared among community members, who fire their pieces together in batches. Robbie plans to use his Emerging Traditional Artists Program award to build his own wood-fired kiln. By building his own kiln, Robbie will be able to better keep up with demand for his wood-fired work and can share the kiln with other potters in his community.