We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Artur Tarkowski. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Artur below.

Hi Artur, thanks for joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

In 2015, I was 41 years old. I have worked for almost the last 9 years in an online portal in Poland. I began to feel the symptoms of burnout, it bothered me that my hands were only used to operate the keyboard and computer mouse. I produced thousands of digital files and… nothing that would exist physically. Then a friend from school persuaded me to try my hand at ceramics. And that was it. Although the beginnings of my adventure with ceramics were not the easiest and centering on the wheel gave me a hard time, when I finally mastered the basics of throwing on the wheel, I knew that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. In addition, at that time I really wanted to move out of Poland to a sunnier place. Then I decided that I wanted to quit my job in the media and become a ceramicist in the Californian desert…

Artur, 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?

Professionally, I deal with ceramics and photography. While I became seriously interested in ceramics when I was already an adult, I had contact with photography since I was a child, thanks to my dad, who was a professional photographer and instilled this interest in me, and later persuaded me to go to a photography school in Warsaw.
For two and a half years I have been working as a production potter at the Pioneertown Ceramic Studio, while developing my line of ceramic products under the name Rusty Dog Ceramics. My favorite activity is wheel throwing and most of my production is rather small dishes such as cups, mugs or bowls. When the work on the wheel becomes too intense, I take breaks from wheel throwing and build dishes such as plates, bowls and vases by hand. I love experimenting with local materials such as wild clay or stones and I try to use them in new projects.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

In the ceramic studio where I create, I often have the opportunity to talk to clients who decide to buy vessels made by me. So I get first-hand comments about what made them choose my products over products made by other artists. It is an extremely interesting experience to hear what emotions my work evoke in people. The cherry on the cake are photographs of morning coffee in mugs made by me sent by clients, sometimes several years after the purchase. Often accompanied by the comment that they can’t imagine their morning coffee in any other vessel. This is the greatest reward for me and it confirms my belief that it was worth turning my life upside down in 2015, quitting my corporate job and starting an adventure with ceramics.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I know that my work has a positive impact on the lives of many people. Celebrating morning coffee in my cups, choosing an urn made by me for the ashes of beloved grandparents, or figurines of ugly unicorns cause a smile, joy or positive emotion in the recipients. I believe that this is my micro contribution to making this world a slightly better and more cheerful place. This gives me motivation to continue on this path.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @rusty_dog_ceramics

Image Credits

Jessie Keylon, Artur Tarkowski