Brentwood Reid
I discovered clay while studying sculpture in college. In those day I was very anti functional pottery. I refused to make cups and plates and would only make 'high brow', non-functional pots. I thought I was pretty good on the wheel until I worked for Paul Dungan, a studio potter in Homer, Alaska and discovered that I was not as good as I thought. He had a feel for the clay and attention to detail that I had not been exposed to in school. The first time I had lunch at Paul's house I fell in love with functional pottery - I ate a sandwich off a handmade plate and declared it to be the best peanut butter sandwich I had ever had and at that moment decided to become an apprentice. As an apprentice I kept the studio clean, recycled clay, made glazes, helped load and unload kilns, brewed coffee, shoveled snow, anything that needed to be done to keep the studio running. I helped other potters build kilns and assisted Paul when he taught at the local community college. I was encouraged to make as many pots as I could, and I made lots of pots.
Though I loved being an apprentice and making pots , I found a potter's life to be a very settled life, and I was young and hungry for adventure, so I left my apprenticeship to pursue a career as a wildland firefighter and to travel the world, understanding that I would one day return to ceramics.
Fast forward 25 years, I now have a more 'settled' life here in Portland and have returned to clay. I built a studio at my house and am a member of the St John's Clay Collective. Though I like to think of myself as a sculptor, I still have a love for crafting functional pottery and that is where I put most of my creative efforts. I find it so satisfying to throw a board of nearly identical bowls, and nerd out tweaking glaze recipes. And I am fortunate to get to eat my meals off beautiful dishes.
Address: 6029 NE 7th Ave Portland OR 97211
Ceramics/Pottery
Community: NE Portland
Studio Number: 24
Email: bwoodreid@gmail.com
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