ETHAN QUILLEN

Having never thought of myself as “artistic,” I committed my talents instead to academic pursuits, earning several master’s degrees, a PhD, and an MBA. And while I have enjoyed the academic life, I became irrevocably captivated by clay in January 2022. I’ve since been devoted full-time to learning the ceramic arts. I find inspiration in mid-century architecture and art-deco design and strive in my pieces a playful interaction between tradition and experimentation.

My pots are hand-thrown and then decorated with liquid clay, giving their finished exterior a unique spirit. I use four different stoneware clays, each containing varying percentages of iron. And though they look different, they all feature the same glaze. Because of their varying geological compositions, a miraculous bit of chemistry alters their surfaces in beautiful and unpredictable ways. Meaning no two pots are the same. The shapes themselves are inspired by traditional ceramic bottles, used for function as well as for aesthetic decoration. By adding the liquid clay to the surface of the pot at a very specific time, and then turning them slowly, I’m able to create detailed lines reminiscent of mid-century science fiction and architecture. So that the glaze is allowed to pool and slide down the surface of the pot, much like water cascading over stone.

In addition to these pots, I also enjoy playing with the unpredictability of Raku firing, and the magic that can reveal itself through crackled and blackened surfaces.