Thomas Love Ceramic Artist and Educator

I was attending San José State University when I started my studies of historical ceramics. I became infatuated with wood firing's seemingly unpredictable surfaces achieved through ruinous fire. I was fortunate to have a network that put me in contact with Phil Park, the owner of Spring Valley Anagama. It was there that I developed a rudimentary understanding of the process while I finished my BFA. Upon graduating, I was teaching and doing tech work at three different studios in the South Bay Area. After a year of teaching, I was displaced from work due to the pandemic. I reached out to Nick Schwartz; a wood firing artist based in Mendocino County. My partner and I were both accepted into his residency program at Flynn Creek Pottery. We were soon introduced to Leslie Campbell, the owner of a large anagama kiln located in Albion, Ca. Nick, alongside Leslie, Ian Hazard-Bill and Jason Sanovich, really added to my understanding of the wood firing process and the correlation between observations, actions taken, and finished results.

My work over the last year has taken inspiration from primeval Japanese techniques and surfaces and brought them into the context of modern American stoneware. Whiskey cups, jugs, steins, bottles, flasks, and tumblers have been the focal point of my recent body of work. Reproducing objects that are relevant to my own culture and personal habits while utilizing the process and techniques of others keeps me engaged and interested in historical arts, contemporary craft, and anthropological studies.