We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lisa B. Evans a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Lisa B., thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

This is an interesting and at times loaded question for me and always a many layered one. Skills can be learned by anyone. It takes opportunity, some sort of instruction, time, curiosity, and lots of trial and error. For me the question is more about personal history, finding my voice, perseverance, and the blessing of support from those who love me.

I was raised by an artist and an engineer, both entrepreneurs so the drive to be an independent Maker was deeply inbred in me. Even so, I tried working for others out of college and was frankly not very good at it. My education and early career were in Landscape Architecture which is a wonderful, solid design background that feeds my work today. It was a very grounded beginning. However, there are times I have lamented not attending art school when I needed certain skills or the cache I imagine that type of education might have provided. Would it have sped up my learning process? Who knows, I consider my education ‘self curated’ which suits me very well.

My ‘self curated’ education was very organic and meandering in the beginning. But as ceramics became more important to me I was able to recognize that personal growth and respond by finding what I needed next whether it was more studio space, specific workshops or a mentorship. All these steps have been crucial to my process, but by far the most significant watershed moment for me was moving into my own private workspace once I had the skills and knowledge that enabled me to work independently. It allowed me the physical and emotional space to create and think more clearly and begin identifying my voice as an artist.

Lisa B., before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Maine is a deep source of inspiration where I have pursued an intuitive, self-guided career with clay. The aesthetics from life as a Landscape Architect are ever present in my work today.

Thrown and altered porcelain is my primary means of expression. Through my unique ‘call and response’ throwing technique this beautifully pure palette is highly responsive, the perfect medium for the cobalt and the wild iron inclusions I forage.

At my wheel I abandon the idea of the perfect pot and lose myself in the throwing process seeking an equilibrium between myself and the clay body. This conversation pushes the boundaries between what each piece will withstand and my ability to stay in control. Many pieces are lost in the process but what survives has an ephemeral beauty I find soulful and gratifying. My work exhibits a simplicity and depth that lends it a timeless relevance and beauty. Layers of visual and physical texture, color and form, are subtle metaphors from my life as an artist that reveal themselves slowly over time.

I am always considering the balance between producing work that speaks to me, keeps me engaged with fresh work, and my ability to offer collections to customers and galleries without becoming a production potter. What I find the most exciting is when I am on the cusp and flow of developing a new body of work. It feeds my soul and stretches my abilities in new directions that I could never predict.

I have been fortunate to be accepted into some amazing venues such as the Philadelphia Museum Contemporary Craft Show and the Paradise City Fine Craft Shows. Being surrounded by people who honor fine craft as well as the many talented Artists and Makers is deeply inspiring and has built a wonderful community of friends.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

My mother became very ill about 12 years ago and my siblings and I along with a caregiver committed ourselves to keeping her at home as happy and comfortable as possible. While it was a challenge for each of us, my unique circumstances included leaving my three children with their father and traveling from Maine to Texas monthly for a year and a half. My part included not just her personal care but running her small business with an employee and all that entailed. My mother was a beloved creative who had built a 30+ year reputation for finely crafted leatherwork in the needlearts world.

During this time period I left my job at a small nonprofit and began using my studio as a place to simply decompress. The meditative process of sitting at the wheel became integral to my own self-care. When the time came and my mother ultimately passed I was faced with the question, ‘What do I do now?’ The answer was obvious to me, I could not stop. It was at this point I committed to working full-time as an independent ceramic artist.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Living and working as a creative is one of those ‘lifestyle’ careers that is idealized by many for it’s seemingly carefree day-to-day pace. Ironically, it is anything but.
This career choice is the same as any self-employed person working independently. Everything that gets done depends upon them alone. The difference, however, lies in the intensity of the work. A creative puts everything on the line with their artwork and it is deeply personal. Every choice is exposed to critique, acceptance or rejection and isn’t for the faint of heart.

What the public sees in a gallery or at a show is the best of the best. The long hours developing their skills and educating themselves, kiln loads lost to a firing gone badly, pieces dropped and broken while packing for a show, are invisible to their customers as they should be, frankly. However, some of these ‘failures’ in the process can be quite costly both in time and money spent. Add to these costly aspects the independent artist must be a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to business. Most are solely responsible for all marketing, selling, shipping, and bookkeeping, in addition to the care and maintenance of their equipment.

There are certainly many creatives who have built lucrative careers and hire out much of this work which makes good business sense. However, for the majority, creating work in the enviable ‘flow’ state is a surprisingly small percentage of their time spent. And then comes the laughable question at a show or sale, ‘How long did this take?’

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lisabevans.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lisabevans_ceramics/

Image Credits
3 of 4 product photos: Melissa Keyser, Quartermoon Studio