View Larger Image Blue jar, 9 in. (23 cm) in height, thrown porcelain, with resisted relief, soda fired. By Ryan McKerley.

September 5, 2007

Working for Others can help Ease the Transition to Working for Yourself

by Dennis W. Smith | Read Comments (0)

In Monday’s Labor Day edition of Ceramic Arts Daily, you read about Austin, Texas, potter Ryan McKerley who decided some time ago to work for himself while choosing to enjoy the freedom of operating his own studio and setting his own hours. Today, you’ll read more about McKerley’s choice to work for himself and about his passion for clay. As he explains, “I love working in clay. My brain is just programmed to do it. I like the flexibility of working late or sleeping late.”

Working for Others can Help Ease the Transition to Working for Yourself
by Dennis W. Smith

When time permits and necessity demands, McKerley has over the past eight years worked for several local artists such as Claudia Reese, Mike Grafa and Billy Ray Mangham (one of his mentors). I asked him why he still occasionally outsources his skills. Simply put, “Money,” he said. “One has to learn to adjust to a minimal salary. Not knowing from month to month where the money is coming from is unnerving. Even though it is pretty hard to actually starve to death in the United States, you may soon learn that you will need to supplement your income with outside jobs. Working for others is actually a good thing when one starts out, though it may become adverse to one’s work as they mature as an artist.

I now divide my time into equal chunks of time spent working for other artists, teaching at local community programs and making my own work. I hope to gradually increase my time on my own work, though I still very much enjoy teaching beginning adult students. I like the energy and that first-time excitement that occurs with a beginning student. Many of my friends have great paying jobs but they don’t have any passion in their lives. I love working in clay. My brain is just programmed to do it. I like the flexibility of working late or sleeping late. I like buyers and my peers responding to the work. I get responses back directly from my audience. Maker, seller, scientist, accountant, handyman—keeps it interesting. It keeps you from getting narrowly focused.”

One of the things I have most respected in McKerley is how his work continues to grow and develop. Galleries and the marketplace can create a seductive atmosphere that will start defining your work based on sales alone. I asked him what he tries to achieve in his own work and what generates new interest for him. “I refer to my work as semi-functional. They are functional pots but function is not the overriding priority with the pieces. The form is more interesting than their function. I want my friends and collectors to use the work. I want the pieces to be affordable. But the form of the vessel is the foundation of the work. I am constantly observing commercial products to draw ideas from; sake bottles, ketchup containers, lines of soy bottles and occasionally other artist’s work. I like observing things in restaurants, shops and garage sales. I always ask myself how objects that engage one’s brain can be reinterpreted into a ceramic form.”

McKerley also continues his exploration by participating as an assistant in workshops presented by artists whose work he relates to. He now regularly assists at workshops in the summer months at Santa Fe Clay, where he has worked under such artists as Maren Kloppmann and Michael Corney. McKerley points out, “This is something that I would recommend to all artists, no matter how long they have been in the business. I like working with early to mid-career artists. I learn from their experience, and share and exchange ideas. Sometimes, in the low points of running a business, one needs confirmation that they are on the right track; to hear the ups and downs of a more established artist. I prefer workshops that are presented by working artists. These are artists who are committed to what they make and making it the best way they can. I see it as one of those perks to this lifestyle and way of making a living.”

McKerley’s recent work moves between light soda vapor firing and gas-fired pieces depending on his intended surfaces. Most of the work is made from grolleg porcelain, which is primarily thrown thick and trimmed. A freestyle pattern of melted wax is then applied to the bone-dry surface. To achieve the depth to his work, the unwaxed areas of the surface are then slowly scrubbed away with a wet sponge creating a beautiful and intimate three-dimensional surface; a time-consuming process. After bisque firing, the interior will be glazed. The exterior may also receive glaze or a flashing slip, which results in an orange coloration. The final step, soda-glaze firing, complements the surfaces by depositing lots of glaze on the edges, and varying the color and translucency of the glaze on each piece in the kiln. Because of this lengthy process and McKerley’s own determination in keeping his work fresh, each piece results in a unique piece of art.

I am always curious, and often amused, as to what initially attracts someone into the ceramics field so I asked McKerley what first brought him to clay. His reply, with a glint in the eye, was, “A girl. She was really cute.” Whatever the reason, the Austin community benefits from this young artist’s creative work. To see more of McKerley’s work, visit www.ryanmckerley.com.