July 2024 Staff Highlight: Finn Faydell Park
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Finn Faydell Park
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 in the RCC basement studios 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 Finn Faydell Park (they/them)!
Finn’s Bio:
Finn Faydell Park is a disabled, second-generation Korean multimedia artist with a penchant for pottery and poetry. They began working as a studio assistant at Rat City Studios and then at Rain City Clay where they also rented a studio space. Finn recently moved to Puyallup lands where they now make pots from their home studio in Tacoma, and continue to teach sessional classes, individual lessons, and group events at RCC.
They primarily create wheel-thrown pots with the purpose of function chiefly in mind, but they also enjoy sculptural work as well as the process of mold making and slip casting. When not in the studio, Finn can usually be found hiking, playing video games, indoor bouldering, or cozying up at home with their nesting partner and beloved circus of cats.
Get to know finn!
What is your favorite part of the clay process?
The actual throwing of the pot on the wheel has to be my favorite part. I often set out to create forms that I haven't before, and then I decide what sort of carving or design might complement that new form after it's been thrown. Regardless of the form it takes, the transformation from lump of clay to a shaped pot always feels a little magical to me, no matter how many times I do it.
finn in their past rcc studio space
What did you like about being an RCC renter?
I loved seeing what the other renters were working on all around me. Being able to follow along throughout their creative process every time I came in to the studio was such a privilege! The variety of all our styles lining the shelves felt like our own little corner of an exhibit. They were also the most obliging sounding boards whenever I felt stuck in my own process, and it helps me greatly to view things from a new and outside perspective.
What's your favorite thing about teaching? What's your favorite demo to give?
When a student who's been frustrated by a part of their process suddenly "gets it" and something clicks in their brain - it's my favorite thing to witness and a joy to facilitate! I really enjoy demoing techniques that are simple and approachable for beginners to try on their own but still impactful, like carving off sections of a pot to give it a rough or rocky texture, which will later on affect and play with whatever glaze they choose.
What is your favorite part of the clay process?
The actual throwing of the pot on the wheel has to be my favorite part. I often set out to create forms that I haven't before, and then I decide what sort of carving or design might complement that new form after it's been thrown. Regardless of the form it takes, the transformation from lump of clay to a shaped pot always feels a little magical to me, no matter how many times I do it.
When do you feel most inspired?
I get so much inspiration from teaching. I love seeing what my students come up with, and the excitement of someone just getting started in clay is infectious. The possibilities with clay are endless, and my students' fresh and fun ideas frequently remind me of that. Art museums of any kind are another huge source of inspiration for me, and I come home every time with hundreds of pictures and new ideas to play around with. Whenever I have the opportunity and ability to travel, I find myself incredibly inspired by the new flora and fauna that I get to see, sometimes the architecture, and always the local ceramics. About half of my travel photos end up being random pots that I saw on the street or in a restaurant.
raku fired pot
How long have you been working with clay?
I had my first pottery experience in early 2017 with an Intro to Ceramics class at my college. I took it mostly to fill a studio requirement but very quickly fell in love. In the following two years, I took just about every pottery class they offered and discovered a love of mold making and slip casting along the way, a practice I hope to revive soon in my home studio. I was briefly without studio access after college and focused my art practice on other mediums until I moved to Seattle and started working with Deb at Rat City in 2021. I've been back to focusing on clay ever since!
Is there something you’ve wanted to try making that you’ve never made before or haven’t made in a long time?
Lamps and hanging light fixtures are a long-time want-to-do! I've made many different candle holders, incense burners, and wax burners, but I've always meant to try projects involving electrical lighting. My nesting partner and I both despise most overhead lights, so we use a lot of lamps and LEDs at home; I would love to design something specific to our new space. However I really enjoy using fire as a light source because of its natural movement, so I would also love to make a series of handheld ceramic lanterns.
What valuable lessons have you learned along your artistic journey that you wish you knew when you first began?
My work doesn't have to be perfect. I was always very hard on my artistic ability as someone who didn't grow up doing anything with visual arts until college. The fear of not being able to produce something that was "good enough" held me back from even sketching for the longest time. Discovering my love of ceramics and having to hand over some of the reins to chance and the kiln gods has healed my need for perfection in many other art mediums as well. Now I try to create only for the sake of creating rather than aiming to produce something perfect or marketable.
What is your favorite glaze/glaze combo/surface decorating technique/material?
Sgraffito through black underglaze on a light clay body will always be a favorite. Something about those lines cutting through the black scratches my brain just right. I also love brush layering glazes on pots with lots of texture or curve, letting the glazes play off the pots' attributes however they want. Some of my favorite commercial glazes that layer well with almost anything are Amaco's Seaweed PC-42 and Deep Sienna Speckle PC-52!
finn making test tiles at RCS
