Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Ashley Ripolone. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Ashley, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.
The pursuit to my path as a professional potter was certainly not a direct one. I found my way to clay in college where my love for the material first formed. After that it took me 4 years to find my way back into a studio. Pre-pandemic I began taking a beginner wheel throwing class at a community studio called Easthampton Clay. This fueled my passion for making pots on the wheel and ignited a growing desire to dive deeper and learn more. Fast forward to the start of the pandemic, I lost my job and like many was left questioning what direction my life was going to take. All I knew for sure was that I was obsessed with working in the pottery studio and wanted to continue that pursuit, no matter what. That was when I began developing a stronger sense of where I wanted to go with my pottery. I started an instagram page to share the work that I was making and after gaining a small following I decided to have my first ever sale. I listed about 35 pots on my instagram stories and when all 35 sold within 20 minutes I was shocked! It was in that moment where I started to consider the possibility of being able to grow this into a career, to turn my passion into my profession. That first sale is what gave me the confidence to start my journey into becoming a studio potter.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
As a ceramic artist focusing on functional wares, I predominately make my work on the potter’s wheel. I create utilitarian pots that weave themselves into our daily lives. At the center of my work is the relationship between utility and form. I often adorn my pots with carved and painted surfaces largely inspired by organic imagery and sharp geometric patterns. Through manipulating the form and surface of my pots I strive to decorate them in a way that expresses my perception of beauty, humanity, and conveys intimate stories of myself. Within each step of the making process I am connected to my mind, body and spirit. I am propelled forward through the ever changing evolution of my work, progressing in style, variety and technique. Constantly striving to make pots that are not only interesting to look at but invoke a desire to be touched and used in your daily rituals.
A huge part of why I make the work that I do is to connect with people. Ceramics is rich with community and I get to reap the benefits of that community in many different ways. Getting my work into the world is one of my main goals as a potter, I have spent the past few years cultivating relationships with customers through in person markets and online platforms. I enjoy attending in person makers markets and artisan fairs because I get to have face to face conversations with people who are interested in my work. This allows for a unique opportunity to connect with my customers, answer any questions they might have and cultivate a welcoming atmosphere for people to engage with my work. That is not to disregard the importance of online sales and sharing my work via social media. There is something really special about being able to connect to people from all over who find their way to my page and develop an interest in my work. It allows for another way of connecting with people and developing a different type of community. I’m constantly thinking about new ways to get my work out there and am currently working on developing my own website in order to have a space for people to see my work and purchase pots from me directly without having to use social media to find me.
Another way that I connect with community through ceramics is by teaching classes at a community studio, Easthampton Clay. I currently teach 3-4 adult wheel classes a week ranging from beginner to advanced. I have been teaching at this studio for about 4 years and have loved every second of it. Developing connections with my students, helping them problem solve while working on the wheel and sharing my passion with them brings me so much joy. I love to see people get excited about working with clay and watching their enjoyment for the craft deepen over time. Seeing the work that my students create and the friendships that form in and outside of the classroom is really exciting. Teaching other people how to work on the wheel has inadvertently taught me so much as well.
Outside of working in a community studio as a teacher, I have created relationships with potters all across New England and have had the privilege of learning and working with so many different ceramic artists over the past few years. Two years ago I began an apprenticeship with ceramic artist and studio potter, Steve Theberge. Through working with him I have deepened my understanding of the materials that I work with, have learned to fire my pots in gas and wood kilns, and have been introduced to a vast community of professional ceramic artists. I feel so grateful that I have found my way back to clay while living in Western Massachusetts where there is a rich population of ceramic artist, all working with clay in unique ways but also being so willing to share and collaborate. I just know that I have found my place in this community.
What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?
I think the best thing people can do to support artist and help cultivate thriving ecosystems for creatives is to support your local community of artists. Attend makers markets and artisan fairs in your area, engage with the creative communities that are showcasing artists work. Purchase handmade items when you can rather than supporting big box stores, and engaging with artist you follow on social media is also really helpful. You don’t always have to purchase something to show your support, just having a conversation with a maker at a market or sharing an artist post on social media is helpful and appreciated. I can promise you that it means more to that artist than you might think.
Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?
Honestly, the entire process of being a potter is rooted in resilience. There are so many things that can go wrong in the making process and the amount of times I have “failed” is more than I can even count. But to give you one quick story, I will share this time I had a really bad firing (which is bound to happen to any potter at least once). It was early in my apprenticeship and it was going to be my first time filling and firing the gas kiln on my own, of course under the watchful eye of my mentor. I had made around 90 pots that were for a two day art fair the following weekend. I had glazed most of my work in a really beautiful but temperamental wood ash glaze, loaded the kiln and sent my pots up to cone 10 (about 2,350 degrees fahrenheit). After an 18 hour firing and a full day later, I was able to unload the kiln, only to realize as we got deeper into the kiln the wood ash glaze I had used on about 45 of the 90 pots had run down the pots and completely fused each one to the kiln shelf. I was mortified and heartbroken. This dark black glaze was just pooled under all of my pots on the fleshly painted crisp white kiln shelves. After a good cry and so many feelings, my mentor and I separated the “good” from the “bad” pots on different tables and I had to start the process of letting it go. Accepting the lesson for what it was and focusing wins that I did have from that firing. At the end of the day, was is devastating? Absolutely! But it did not stop me from trying again, I have sense used that glaze on many of my pots and have not had any issues like that since. This is just one example of the many different types of issues you can run into while working in this medium. Like I tell my students; pottery is humbling, there are many life lessons in the making process, learn from each mistake and try again!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @ashrips_pottery
- Other: https://www.etsy.com/shop/AshRipsPottery