With Deanna Pini
Ceramics Professor Deanna Pini is a lifelong artist and elegant potter. During our interview, Deanna talked about more than just how she got into ceramics and the joys it beings her, but also about the touching, heart-warming stories she’s see along with the craft.
Deanna got into ceramics when she saw a potter at a local county fair and was mesmerized by how he could take something that was just dirt and earth and turn it into something beautiful. Deanna taught herself ceramics for the first three years: reading books, sitting in on classes and gong into ceramics studio once a week. Deanna had future teachers and fellow potters who helped her think differently about ceramics in ways that only helped her improve.
When Deanna is selling her pottery, she made an agreement with herself: “Any pot that is there, I would be able to give away to someone who really wanted it.” Deanna has held on to this for years and is something she loves to live by. Deanna tells in the interview several touching stories she’s seen through working with the class, fellow potters, and selling her pieces.
One main lesson Deanna has learned from working with clay is “you need to learn to let go, the clay it will do things you don’t expect. You could work so hard, and when it’s drying it could start to crack, or it could go in the kin and the glaze comes out different than you expected. So it’s really a lesson in letting go. It’s not so precious that if you destroy something on the wheel, you can re-wedge it and do it again. I think there’s a real spiritual element to ceramics, unlike some of the other arts.”
One thing that Deanna loves most about ceramics is “the surprises that come along, staying open to a sense of wonder and the people who come along who just wanna talk or ask about the pots or if you could make something special for them.”
The entire 11 minute talk with Professor Deanna Pini is up now on Anchor.fm. Give it a quick listen and hear more about this amazingly talented and genuinely kind professor.
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