I have spoken with Terri on just a few occasions, but when we do talk our conversations seem to spread wings and fly. If you let her, she'll take you on a ride to a place you'd never expect. She's as deep as the many layers of underglaze in her fanciful depictions of a wonder world that few can grasp. I found myself wanting to ask her to repeat herself, just so I could keep up and "get" it. She's a whirlwind of symbolism and all that is magical and mystical. She has a lot to say, and her pots portray that.

Terri's studio is located on the 5th floor of the Pendleton Art Center, nestled in a corner that says nothing of what to expect on the inside. It was everything I imagined it would be, and then some. The studio is spacious with many tables; some containing works in various stages of progress, innumerable jars of underglaze materials, and brushes galore. What I didn't quite expect, and in hindsight should have, were the family pictures, mementos, awards and sketches that filled the walls in a unique wallpaper fashion. It is undeniable that family and friends are important to Terri. She is a wife, sister, daughter, doting Aunt and dog-mom. It is likely that each one of these special people in her life calls her "friend".

Terri always wanted to be an artist. In the early days of her infatuation with clay, she met Joyce Clancy. At the time, Joyce was the Head of the Arts Consortium and had a project that left her needing an assistant. As Terri was interviewing for this position, Joyce asked her to throw a pot on the wheel, an intimidating idea. When she couldn't center the pot, Joyce decided to give her some space and left the room. When Joyce returned, Terri proudly displayed her lopsided pot. Joyce told her, "Well, you can't throw a pot, but you've sure got moxy." It was Terri's determination that got her that job. Since that day long ago, Joyce has had the pleasure of seeing Terri evolve into the potter she is today and has the utmost respect for her. Joyce says, "Terri is a good thinker, an excellent writer and really sells her work well."

Terri's art never begins at the wedging table. It starts at the library, carefully researching art history books for ideas that express her innermost thoughts and convictions. When it comes to depicting nature, animals, fruits and vegetables or stationary objects, she is whimsically technical. Once her ideas are well researched, it is off to the drawing table. Her drawings are pencil on paper, and typically never bigger than 10" square. They are almost as beautiful in this stage as they are glaze on clay. Once her drawing is finished, she does an outline sketch of the drawing onto tracing paper. She cuts out the sketch, then wraps it around a piece to see how it will "fit" the pot.

Wheel throwing and hand-building techniques, or a combination of the two, are used in the pot making process. When leather hard, many of Terri's pieces are carved with a loop tool, which gives the piece more depth and character once finished. The carvings are small, compact strokes that appear to float around the piece in a large spiral curve. The overall effect is flirtatious, as it begs you to caress the pot.

Once her work is bone dry, Terri brings out the underglazes and begins the process of brushing layer after layer of color onto the surface to serve as the background for the picture. Due to the semi-transparent nature of the underglaze, each layer picks up the color from the layer underneath it, which results in very rich colors. It is that same transparency, however, that requires up to fifteen or twenty layers of underglaze to be built up on the surface to block out darker background colors. An example of this would be white pages of an open book painted over a lush green background. The book appears to have been added to the piece, when in fact, it is the buildup of underglaze causing the raised effect. Each layer needs to dry thoroughly before another can be applied, otherwise peeling can occur. For that reason, several pieces are in progress at the same time.

When the drawing is completely dry, Terri uses a detail brush to give the subject a black outline for definition and then sgraffitos into the black using a variety of tools (her favorite sgraffito tool is a broken-tipped dental tool.) It normally takes as long to apply the black as it does to apply all the other colors combined on any given piece. When all the detail work is finished, the pieces are fired for the first time to cone 03. Clear glaze is then brushed over the pieces (three to five layers depending on the colors) and they are fired to cone 05. During this firing, the glaze saturates the pigment in the underglaze and brings out the brilliant color. It also seals the surface and makes it safe for food.

Terri is meticulous in making every part of the pot a point of beauty. The bottoms of her pots are completely covered in glaze, some with a whimsical drawing in the center of the foot, others with something as simple as a carrot. She even covers the foot of the pot in black to conceal the clay itself. This is part of her signature. This drive for detail means she has to fire every one of her pieces on tripod stilts. Once the piece is done, Terri uses a Dremel tool to grind down the three points of contact. The result is incredible. It makes you wonder if anyone displays her pots "bottoms-up". (Terri says mirrors don't fit into her booth design, but she knows that some people do display her pots in front of mirrors, say, on a buffet.)

Terri commands a steep price for her art, but after seeing her in action, she earns every penny. Someday, when my kids are out of the "breakage stage" I will own one of her pieces, and I will feel as if I've paid a decent price.

Watching Terri work is, to say the least, awe-inspiring. Her deft brushwork seems as effortless as breathing. She handles her greenware with the same ease and confidence. When I asked her if she had ever considered using a piece of soft egg crate foam to support a piece, she just shrugged and said, "No, my body is my brace, and it works just fine."

Here's part of my discussion with Terri:

SK: How did you first get interested in working with earthenware and underglazes?

TK: I didn't get into earthenware until I was at Morehead State University. I was looking for a fast and easy way to make my work and earthenware seemed the answer. I didn't like using stoneware because the grog interfered with the paintings on my pieces.

SK: At what point did your underglaze work really take off and what happened to get you there?

TK: When I quit teaching at Morehead, I moved back to Cincinnati, worked at Maxfield Ceramic Supply and was a "fill-in" ceramics teacher at Ursuline Academy for one year. I was using black as a base and then layering on color and doing scrafitto through that color. I began trying to achieve a bright, more vivid color and started experimenting with the color itself as a base, instead of black. That's when I saw results: by reversing the order of what I was doing.

SK: What is your favorite animal to draw?

TK: I really like drawing rabbits. And, where there are rabbits, there are carrots. Lately, I have been working on birds.

SK: What inanimate object do you best like to draw?

TK: The chair. You can really be dramatic with a chair. There are so many different shapes and sizes to draw, not to mention the attitude or grace you can lend to it.

SK: What is your failure rate?

TK: I have incredibly reduced my failure rate. I don't get cracking, pinholing or bubbling. When I need to order a batch of clay, I first ask for 25 pounds and test it. If the clay is good, then I order what I need from that particular batch. I also have done a lot of experimenting with the glazes and the layers needed on each color to achieve the results I want. Take for instance, 40% of the time my greens would be dry. I experimented by adding more layers of clear glaze (the topcoat) to only the green and once I got the desired results I knew what I had to do from there on out.

Also, just as I ramp up the kiln when firing, I also ramp it down. I hold it at temperature for 23 minutes, then begin ramping it down. This has greatly reduced pimpling, and the glaze has a chance to perform well. I learned this by experimentation, and probably from asking questions.

SK: Where do you see yourself in 5-10 years?

TK: I will likely be doing much of the same work, just different series. I am also in the process of writing a children's book, titled, Crazy Miss Daisy. The book is all about my dog Daisy and what might drive her crazy throughout the day while she is in the backyard. I have also given thought to doing prints of my work.

SK: What advice would you give to a new ceramist today?

TK: Practice, practice, practice. And then when you are done practicing, practice some more! Also, develop an idea that is yours alone. What is it that you can do that will set yourself apart from the others? Like for me, reaching the point where I started to glaze the foot of the pot black, that was it for me, and it took me a while to get to that point. But, it is what sets me apart from other potters.

SK: how many hours do you work per week?

TK: Right now I work 40-50 hours per week. I used to immerse myself in the studio and work approximately 70 hours a week. It wasn't until I married David (Umbenhour) two years ago that I changed my schedule. Now, I live my life, not my job. My job is not all consuming. I have also found that my work has gotten better as a result. I am more creative because I am not suffering from burn-out. That life change has changed my work.

SK: Who does your photography work?

TK: Greg Kuchick

SK: What about your website? It really is something!

TK: Monte Davis did the work. His company is called Pixels & Dots.

SK: Tell us a little about your marriage series and how it began.

TK: I used to do a lot of sculptural work in which I documented my personal history. When I got married I started to do more of putting my thoughts and ideas down on paper, then on clay. Now I let the drawings speak for themselves. It's a little scary to put all this down, you know? I now deal more with symbolism on my pieces and it speaks to people.

SK: Do you have a new series in the works?

TK: I have been working on a new series called, What is Temptation? And I am toying with a new series with birds.

SK: Hmmm. I think I remember seeing an Adam and Eve piece in your studio.

TK: You probably are remembering one of my sketches. Yes, something is in the works.

SK: Changing gears now, in what direction would you like to see the Clay Alliance go?

TK: I like where we are going now. I initially became a member because I thought it was a good idea to support the clay group. Now, after the successes we have had with the Empty Bowls Project and the Spring Pottery Fair, I feel this group is good for the community. We are recreating that strong history of clay in Cincinnati and bringing back more awareness to Rookwood Pottery itself.

SK: What do you enjoy the most about being a member of the Clay Alliance?

TK: Things happened slowly for me with the group, but I just love the altruistic nature of what we do for Kids Café once a year. And of course, re-awakening the awareness of clay in our area.

SK: What one thing would you change about the Clay Alliance?

TK: Honestly, I haven't been that involved with the group, but that is changing for me. I really want to become a more involved member.

SK: Great! We'd love that. Terri, thanks so much for taking the time for this interview.

TK: It's been my pleasure. Terri Kern received her Masters Degree in Fine Arts from Ohio University in 1990. After being awarded her first grant from the Ohio Arts Council in 1991, she set up a working studio at the Pendleton Arts Center in downtown Cincinnati. From 1993-94, she taught art history and ceramics as an adjunct faculty member at Morehead State University in Morehead, KY. In 1995, she received a grant from the Kentucky Foundation for Women that allowed her to continue making work. Unable to support herself on the earnings from her teaching position alone, she began making functional ceramics on the side. In less than a year, she earned more income selling her ceramic wares than teaching, and decided to open her own business.

She moved back to Cincinnati and re-opened her studio at the Pendleton Arts Center. She has made her living as a ceramic artist for the last seven years, traveling all over the United States and recently to Munich, Germany. She continues to pursue opportunities to advance her ceramics and was awarded a Summerfair Inc. grant in the year 2000.

~ I hope you've enjoyed our first installation of Member Spotlight. You can learn more about Terri and her work by visiting www.terrikern.com.

Sharon Kabbes is a mother of two young girls, works at night in her Sweetwine Pottery studio and participates in the Clay Alliance as a Board Member, handling publicity matters.

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Last updated: 20 January, 2005
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