Carmen D'Apollonio: Sculptor, lamp maker, and designer.
Today’s featured artist is Carmen D’Apollonio, sculptor who explores everything from abstraction to figuration in her ceramic practice. Self-taught in ceramics, Carmen creates sculptural lighting and vessels that fuse craftsmanship with functionality, often infused with humour. As she puts it, “My work is simple; it often gives way to humor. As if clay had its way of being, its own personality.”Carmen began her creative career as an art director for short films and commercials in the 90s. She then worked alongside artist Urs Fischer for over a decade before launching her own fashion brand, Ikou Tschuss, in 2006, combining modern textiles with traditional artistry.Since 2014, she’s been working out of her own studio in Los Angeles. Her process begins with sketching, then sculpting the clay form, allowing the piece to evolve along the way. Titles like “I Wish You Were Beautiful” and “Here Comes the Light” hint at her playful, open-ended approach to artmaking.Today, Carmen continues to create from her Los Angeles studio, bringing clay to life with humour, honesty, and a touch of poetic storytelling.You can find her work at her website here https://carmendapollonio.com/ and her Instagram page here: https://www.instagram.com/carmendapollonio
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Suzy Birstein: A Canadian sculptor creating fantastic figurative work.
Join us on the Colour and Ceramics Podcast today as our host Bob Acton @bobacton strums up an exciting conversation with Vancouver's vibrant artist Suzy Birstein @suzy_birstein! Hold onto your mugs as we dive into Suzy's world of whimsical, figurative ceramic works and paintings. Ready for some artful chit-chat? Tune in! Check out her work at https://www.suzybirstein.com/
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Rob and Jess Sutherland: From dirt to beauty in Athens.
Join Bob, Jess, and Rob Sutherland, founders of Good Dirt Studio in Athens, Georgia—a dynamic ceramics space dedicated to creativity, community, and clay on today's podcast episode.As artists and educators, Jess and Rob have cultivated a welcoming environment where students of all levels can explore the joy of working with their hands. Through their thoughtful teaching and community-focused approach, they’ve built more than just a studio—they’ve created a space for connection, curiosity, and artistic growth. Today on Colour and Ceramics, we talk about their journey, their philosophy on teaching, and how they’re shaping the clay community in Athens and beyond. And, of course, their pottery and approach to ceramic art.You can find their work on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/gooddirt_athens/ and on their website at https://www.gooddirt.net/
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CJ Jilek: Ceramic colourist extraordinaire.
Bob Acton, the host of the Colour and Ceramics Podcast, shares his conversation with CJ Jilek. CJ creates beautiful, colourful work that is inspired by the sensuality of nature. Her work explores the connection between botanical forms and human sexuality. By abstracting flower blooms and focusing on their reproductive elements, she invites viewers to engage with themes of beauty, desire, and attraction—drawing subconscious links between the natural world and human instinct..Her work can be found on her Instagram page at https://www.instagram.com/cjjilek/ and on her website at https://cjjilekartist.wordpress.com/
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Emily Stubbs: A Contemporary Ceramicist from York in the UK
Welcome to today’s episode! In this conversation, Bob sits down with the incredibly talented Emily Stubbs to dive into her journey with clay—how it all began, the evolution of her stunning work, and some fascinating insights into the techniques she uses in her ceramics practice.Emily’s work is both playful and refined, with a unique voice that really stands out in the world of contemporary ceramics.You can check out her creations at emilystubbs.com and follow her studio life on Instagram @emilystubbsceramics.Let’s get into it—enjoy the show!
Colour affects peoples’ emotional reactions and mood. In ceramics, the artist uses colour to imbue something other than that communicated from the form itself. This podcast explores the entire spectrum of colour, the psychology of colour, and how to use colour to communicate in ceramics.Bob will not only interview top ceramic artists from around the world but also artists using other mediums who use colour in their work. Look for a new podcast every two weeks.Bob can be contacted through his website at https://bobactonceramics.com/podcast or via the Colour and Ceramics Podcast Instagram page at https://instagram.com/colourandceramics
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