Instructor Highlight: James Lobb
/Rain City Clay is lucky to be staffed by a group of dedicated ceramicists who work diligently to keep the studio running, who teach with passion and exuberance, and engage and build community through clay. In addition to all that they do at RCC, they also have their own clay practices, either at RCC or off-site, where they make their own work and grow their skills. Each month we will be featuring one of our fantastic staff members and their talents.
This month we are highlighting instructor James Lobb (he/him)!
James’ Bio:
James Lobb
I am a storyteller. And I enjoy working with clay. What fascinates me most about pottery is how it stretches back through human history as an art form, telling us about the cultures of our past. It’s also our companion through our day-to-day processes of eating and drinking. While experimenting with form, surface, color, and pottery, I evoke feelings, set a scene, or tap into memories. The best pots elicit memories of friendships and time well spent. Most of the pots I make are coil-built, which is my favorite way of working in clay.
After working in the ceramics field for 20 years, I took a detour to be a bicycle adventurer. For over two years, my wife and I rode our bikes over 14,000 miles through 29 countries around the globe. Before all that, I worked as the executive director of Pottery Northwest, as a ceramics professor at South Seattle College, and as a studio potter. In 2003 received a BFA in Ceramics and Ceramic Sculpture from the Rochester Institute of Technology School for American Crafts. These days, I spend most of my time as a tour guide, leading walking tours through the city of Seattle.
I deeply enjoy teaching pottery classes as it allows me the opportunity to learn more about people and what excites them about clay.
Get to know James!
How long have you been working with clay?
I’ve had an affinity for clay since I was pretty young. I took my first class Freshman year in college, that was 27 years ago. It took me a couple of years to decide to major in ceramics and pursue it professionally.
What are your inspirations / influences when making work?
I like the forms of ancient pots, prehistoric and classical pottery. The human body. Fruits, vegetables, and flowers. Patterns from nature. I also think about how someone will interact with my work; what will it feel like when they will hold it, how will they bring a cup to their lips.
When do you feel most inspired?
I spend as much time as I possibly can walking in the woods and in the mountains and along the water. And I love traveling, I want to see as many places as I can while I still have time.
Inspired - it’s a great word. The literal Latin means to breathe into. But we use it metaphorically: the gods or the divine inspire us, by breathing into us. What is that? What do we mean when we talk about being inspired? New ideas? Motivation? Clarity? All of those things happen to me randomly, while I’m working, when I’m on the bus, in the middle of a conversation. So the idea that when you are inspired, you are being influenced by an outside force, makes sense to me. So I don’t have a specific time or place when I feel most inspired, or rituals, or ways I look for inspiration. I just try to be ready when it comes and take advantage of it.
What is your favorite glaze/glaze combo/surface decorating technique/material?
Oooh, I love soft satin finishes with some depth to them. I usually get something pretty luscious but putting a matte glaze on top of a glossier glaze. And if I can do that with a pattern that melts just right, that can be really pleasing. Layering is key.
What is your favorite part of the clay process?
Shaping at soft leather hard; once it’s gotten just stiff enough to hold some shape, but still malleable. When coil building, that’s when I refine the form. I love the way the clay feels and how it reacts to touch.
What are you looking forward to about teaching at RCC?
I’ve been a friend of Deb’s for a long time, and I’m really impressed with what she’s built over the years. I’ve watched her start Rat City, then Rain City. While I’ve been to many events, I’ve never taught here, so I’m really looking forward to experiencing the studio as an instructor. Plus I love the south end, so I’m excited to be teaching in this part of the city.
What valuable lessons have you learned along your artistic journey that you wish you knew when you first began?
Gosh, maybe that it’s a lifelong process. I want to be learning all the time, everyday, as long as I live. There aren’t points where we are “supposed” to be. Like you might hear someone say, “at this point in your career you should have accomplished A, B, & C” and that’s a bunch of phooey. We shouldn’t be embarrassed for not knowing something, or not having accomplished something.
Also, I’ve learned to take care of myself. In my youth I had no idea how important that was. Mental health in particular.
Finally, each mistake I’ve made, and every failure, and even the most painful parts of my life, all have led me to where I am right now, and make me me. And I really like me. So I’ve learned not to spend too much time wishing the past were different, rather I just try to make sense of it.
James leading a tour of Pike Place Market
What's next for you? Shows? Markets? Etc?
Two years ago I started a walking tour company here in Seattle which has become my primary focus. I’m right in the middle of the busy tourism season. As a tour guide I am a storyteller. Developing my tours has been an incredibly satisfying process - creating a comprehensive story of a place. Why do people come here? How did this city come into being? Who was hurt along the way? What do we celebrate? I get to use city landmarks and buildings as prompts. And it needs to be concise, and easy to comprehend. It’s a fascinating, ever evolving project, the more I learn, the more I get to incorporate. As the city changes, week to week, season to season, the story continues to develop as well.