Today we’d like to introduce you to Careen Stoll.
Hi careen, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hi- At the risk of being overly terse, I’ll first refer you to the “contacts & origin” page on my website LusciousPorcelain.com, because that’s where I say in words but also some quick video what you wish to read here..
I grew up making pots, have continued in porcelain exclusively, and eventually focused on taking commissions from chefs. My aesthetic voice is that of the beach stones. I love food, and the conviviality around a table full of friends and interesting conversation. For me, a supper club is a form of social practice. Perhaps this is because I grew up in a relatively lonely household. I find solace in quietly touching the material, but I crave sharing it.
I’ve been a potter all my life. That includes the travels for education, the sacrifices for the dedication, the inquiry about its merits in a world increasingly turning away from tactile reality while necessarily referencing it. Woodfiring is one of the most dynamic and social activities of my professional life, and I look forward to the days that I can re-build my old kiln and turn it into not just a tool for my community but also a place of education beyond it. Currently I teach at PCC continuing ed, but I’m interested in moving into teaching workshops.
thanks
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
oh goodness… ha! um… no.
I try to do too much. I make the tool to make the house to service the people for whom I want to grow the food to share on handmade plates fired in a kiln of my own making on land that I worked to steward by walking my talk about my environmental ethics. And write, and teach, and try to love equally impossible people, and pay the rent, and fail and get back up……
sorry, I’m not trying to be vague. I’m just overwhealmed and recently two pillars of my support network crumbled, so picking myself up is a paradigm shift. But my vision remains clear.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m known for having an internally clear aesthetic vision from an early age. Certainly I have influences, but I think one thing that sets me apart is that my forms are naive, if you will. I respond to things like the heft of a stone as opposed to the instagram photo of whatever that popular chef wants. And I think the customer essentially wants that deeper satisfaction expressed visually even if they never pick up the dish. Hopefully you know the sensation of a really good kiss. The soft warm fullness. The favorites of my work have a nice fat lip.
I don’t know if I’m “known” for it yet, but I’ve been trying my hardest to initiate a line of my work for mass production. As in, I kind of just re-invented the plate. Sounds a little odd to say, but we can talk about it more. I don’t know if it will fly in the market, but I’m going to go for it.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
If success is measured by finances, I’m not. If success is measured by awards, I have few. If success is measured by esteem in the community, we can talk about that. I feel that I have been a responsible leader, and honest and caring friend and teacher, and a thoughtful lover. I feel that what I struggle to do is valuable to people’s spirits.
ps: about the photos: I have a tiff of my original kiln, which was in the woodstock neighborhood of SE. It didn’t seem to upload. And I provided a smattering of decent images, but they might not all be big enough for your needs. Do feel free to ask for others, it’s easy. thanks
Pricing:
- I have a web store, and currently preparing for a big new chapter in it
Contact Info:
- Website: LusciousPorcelain.com (and possibly another related to DEI in our field- ask me before publishing, thanks)
- Instagram: @lusciousporcelain @careenstollceramics NB I am an infrequent user
