Working With Natural Materials and Wild Clay With Ariana Kier of Olla Ceramics
At Tao of Clay, we know ceramics is more than the pieces we make at the wheel.
Ceramics is a way of engaging with the world around us; it helps us connect back to the earth and to cultures all around the world.
That’s why we’re so excited to welcome Ariana Kier of Olla Ceramics for a workshop on Natural Materials and Wild Clay.
Ariana’s work can help us better understand how ceramics and the materials we use connect us back to the environments we move through. Her work is a beautiful example of this ethos in action. Through her engagement of foraged materials like ochres, stones, volcanic ash, and wild clays, she invites us to consider where our materials come from, and what stories they carry.
This collaboration is not just about learning new techniques, though you’ll definitely walk away with those. It’s about cultivating a more intimate relationship with the land, and with clay as a living substance. Ariana’s practice, rooted in ecological research, cultural memory, and collaboration with scientists, stewards, and engineers shows us what’s possible when art, earth, and curiosity converge.
To help you get to know her work, we asked Ariana a few questions about her process, her partnerships, and what she hopes to share with students in this workshop.
1. Your work involves archiving salts, ochres, stones, clays, ash, and pigments from across the globe. Could you share what first drew you to using foraged or “wild” materials in your ceramics?
I grew up with an unobstructed access to wild spaces. My childhood home is nestles up against the Cuyamaca State Forest. That was the place of mountain lions and quick scurries up the mountain to see the moon, but the open valley below was a playground. One of reeds, sands, granite boulders, scratchy beige clay, and the countless Kumeyaay pottery shards that starred the property. I spent every moment I was allowed to enveloped entirely in soil and the natural world in which it holds up. When it came time to pick a career, I was still, decades later, too bothered to dream about doing anything other than sunbathing in the woods. I learned through stories of Kumeyaay neighbors and friends, what this place means, and the magic it holds. My work with pigments and soils now, develops from the longing to have a physical conversation with landscapes I grew to understand and love throughout my life. Now, as I travel to new countries, or receive a small sample of earth from another part of her, I listen to new stories, and do my darndest to stay out of the way when creating work with them. To me, using foraged materials uplifts a silent voice that lives below our lives.
2. Your practice includes collaborations with indigenous land stewards, marine scientists, and material engineers. What have you learned from these partnerships that may seem outside of the “traditional ceramics” world?
There is the modern ceramics world, and there are traditional ceramics. Indigenous art is traditional art in the most fundamentally utilitarian, spiritual and scientific way. I gravitate towards Kumeyaay pottery because they are the experts in the materials, flora and fauna I grew up with. Their connection with the land goes beyond a single life of lying outdoors, it is woven into their ancestry and faith system. Their sense of responsibility and thousands of years of experimentation is the bedrock of any research into the topic of clays here in San Diego. I believe the same for each locality in which I end up working with a material, whether it is personally foraged or gifted to me, the indigenous peoples will always be the first point of contact and interest. They gave me the framework for reciprocity, and how to care about a place far beyond its usefulness.
3. Working with wild clay requires unique preparation, testing, and adaptability. What are some common challenges you anticipate students might encounter? Why is this an exciting part of the process?
Clay which is purchased from a store was mined, processed and blended for the unique aim of maximizing the artists techniques and visual preferences. In every way, the material is moved to meet the maker, when working with single-source natural materials, the artist is forced to adapt and collaborate with the material. Altering our techniques, our plans, designs and allowing the material to share its own story (a process easier experienced than described). There are of course challenges we come across with foraged materials, bubbling, breaking, melting to a crispy puddle, but it forcibly shifts your artistic practice into experience over output.
We’re honored to host Ariana at Tao of Clay and can’t wait to share this experience with our community. Whether you’re curious about foraging, seeking new ways to expand your practice, or simply looking to reconnect with the ground beneath your feet, this workshop is an invitation to deepen your relationship with clay, art, and the places that encourage us to play, listen and learn.
Learn About Our Other Classes At Tao Of Clay