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On today’s episode of the podcast, I’m talking about the art and craft of ceramics with my guest, Diana Fayt.

Diana is a modern-day scrimshander, whose chosen medium is clay rather than whalebone. Drawing on her background as a painter, sculptor, printmaker, and clayer, Diana’s clay surfaces are alive with strange and exotic stories, part folklore and part personal narrative.

Diana Fayt vaseVase by Diana Fayt.

Her work can be found in a myriad of public and private art collections both in the United States and abroad. A graduate of the California College of the Arts, she currently lives and works in the Sierra Nevada, Foothills of California with a dog named Louie and an ever-growing collection of fine art and found ephemera.

bowl by diana faytBowl by Diana Fayt.

We talk about the technique Diana developed of etching into clay to draw and tell the stories of her life. She explains her vocabulary of images — a rabbit, a wren, feathers, seahorses, squids, and whales — that she turns to again and again.

We also discuss kilns, safety, and some of the hurdles people might need to overcome in order to include ceramics as part of their art practice.

Diana Fayt workingDiana working in the studio.

Diana has figured out how to make a living as a ceramicist by diversifying her income streams. She’s designed collections for Heath Ceramics and Anthropologie, taught workshops, done logo design, and much more. Diana explains where her income comes from and how she figures out what to pursue and what to leave behind.

Several years ago while teaching at Squam Art Workshops she got into a conversation with other instructors about teaching online. Diana became inspired to create an online class to teach ceramics, something nobody had yet done. We talk about how she did it and get into the nitty-gritty of developing an online class by yourself.

Diana-Fayt-Scrimshaw-PlatterScrimshaw inspired platter by Diana Fayt.

We mention:

And, of course, I ask Diana to recommend some stuff she’s loving right now. Diana recommends:

Diana’s offers two online classes at her site, The Clayer. Surface Patterns and Molds begins tomorrow if you’d like to sign up.

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This week’s episode is sponsored by Creativebug. Use the code NAPS at checkout for a free month-long subscription. You’ll get access to every single class offered and watch as little or as much as you’d like.  And you’ll be supporting the Craft Industry Alliance podcast at the same time. Thanks, Creativebug!

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Tune in to the podcast by clicking on the arrow below or subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher and listen on the go. If you enjoy the show, tell a friend about it! Thank you so much.

 

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