Richard Nickel | Studio Potter

Author Profile

Richard Nickel

Richard Nickel is an artist, educator, writer, and member of the Studio Potter advisory board. He has exhibited both nationally and internationally. He has been published in several books on contemporary ceramics and in art journals. As a designer, Nickel has created posters for Crafted Indie Arts and Crafts Market, a cover illustration for Studio Potter, ceramic awards for Skutt Kilns, illustrations for Alt Daily, and animations for WHRO HealthBeat. As a ceramic sculptor, he has pieces in numerous private collections. Nickel has designed and painted murals in Rochester, New York; Niagara Falls, New York; Norfolk, Virginia; and Virginia Beach, Virginia.

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Articles

Which State of Clay are You Now?

By Richard Nickel

Greek Pottery

By Richard Nickel, By Molly Anne Bishop

Trying times inspire revolution and innovation.

Looking into the Empty Vessel

By Richard Nickel

Eva Zeisel

By Richard Nickel

"How do you make something beautiful?"
"Get out of the way."

Apotheosis of the Toiler

By Richard Nickel

A new animated comic from Richard Nickel for Studio Potter about the life of Adelaide Alsop Robineau and her masterpiece, The Scarab Vase.

History and Story of Mata Ortiz Ceramics: Why Oral Tradition Matters (Part I)

By Diego Valles, By Nicole Marroquin, By Richard Nickel

Over the course of fifty years Mata Ortiz Pottery became an outstanding artistic movement and one of the most relevant ceramic expressions in the world. But how did such a young pottery tradition emerge, seemingly from nowhere, and quickly evolve? The most popular narrative, the “single story” distilled from a larger, more complex narrative, involves only a few men. What follows is our history, the multi-layered narrative, as told by the people who have lived it.

Studio Potter Cartoons

By Richard Nickel

Flash tattoo illustrations created by Studio Potter's own cartoonist, Richard Nickel!

Blue Willow Pattern

By Richard Nickel

Richard Nickel creates a new comic for Studio Potter about the blue willow pattern. Blue willow china originated in England by Thomas Minton, who founded Stoke on Trent and worked with Josiah Spode, a printmaker and potter, to create the design as transferware. The design was based on Chinese porcelain imports and told a rather romantic fable of a wealthy mandarin and his young daughter.

The Kiln

By Zuzka Vaclavik, By Richard Nickel

Another animated short produced by Studio Potter's official Cartoonist Richard Nickel, showcasing the work of painter and ceramist, Zuzka Vaclavik.
"The Kiln is a poem, a kind of curse against potters who choose to practice their craft in a less than virtuous manner."

Face Jugs – Part One and Two

By Richard Nickel

In part two of Richard Nickel's face jug animation, he looks at the region of Edgefield, South Carolina, renowned for the rise of the alkaline-glazed stoneware industry.

Clay Buttons

By Richard Nickel

Bone Dry Leather Hard – Stories from the Craft Art World (Part One)

By Richard Nickel

In the coming four months, Studio Potter will release a comic series from this new anthology. This month, we feature the work of Janina Myronova, Sydnie Jimenez, and Amber Pierce.

Bone Dry Leather Hard – Stories from the Craft Art World (Part Two)

By Richard Nickel

Introducing the second edition of Bone Dry Leather Hard – Stories from the Craft Art World. In the coming four months, Studio Potter will release a comic series from this new anthology. This month, we feature the work of Nicole Marroquin, Kathy King, and Christiana Erives.

Bone Dry Leather Hard – Stories from the Craft Art World (Part Three)

By Richard Nickel

In the coming four months, Studio Potter will release a four-part comic series from this new anthology. This month, we feature the work of Natalia Arbelaez, Taili Wu, and Amelia Butcher.

Bone Dry Leather Hard – Stories from the Craft Art World (Part Four)

By Richard Nickel

This month – in the fourth and final series – Studio Potter introduces readers to the illustrative work of Haylie Jimenez, Zuzka Vaclavik, and Kristy Moreno.

These comics were first featured in Richard Nickel's second edition of Bone Dry Leather Hard – Stories from the Craft Art World.

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