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Q&A with the Artist Tell us how your work is made. I started working with clay in college and instantly fell in love. I make my pottery from soft white stoneware clay that I form on a wheel. The philosophy is simple: everything is 100% handmade with attention to quality. Each series has been named for the dimension created when I’m in my studio, throwing each piece on the potter’s wheel. From the moment of creation, I create scalable and yet fully customizable pieces while keeping as much of production in my own hands as possible. What makes you passionate about the medium you work with? I'm Jordan Blankenship, just your typical ceramic artist trying to balance hectic schedules and managing various kiln firings. All with clay in one hand and coffee in the other. I am a ceramic artist and designer based out of Estero, Florida. The inspiration behind my work comes from the experience of using objects in my daily routines. Handmade ceramics can become an interactive tool capable of providing joy and value in our daily lives. I still remember the very first time I touched clay in college... I was hooked. Now, like many other potters, I'm a professional addict. I can't help but find myself commentating on how functional objects can play into our daily lives and how they can find meaning in our homes. With my ceramic pieces, I create sets that invite participation in people's coming together and the enjoyment of food. I find my creativity in those moments, exploring how new forms excite me and provide ideas for new collections.
What is something unique about you or your practice? I began to incorporate cork into my sets after the summer of 2021. I took a cork course at Penland School of Crafts with Daniel Michalik. I found myself looking to new materials to create a series that embraces clay’s limitations and accepts a new material to be the solution. Cork quickly captured my attention as I learned more about its unique characteristics as a medium. It’s water-resistant, lightweight, rot-resistant, compressible, recoverable, expendable, anti-static, buoyant, and recyclable. It’s a great natural material with remarkable properties. By using the lathe, cork blocks can been refined and reshaped too create key functional for my ceramic pieces. As seen in the ceramic tumbler set. |