July Staff Highlight: Ryan Allen McDonald
/
Ryan Allen McDonald - photo by @allyne.armitage
Rain City Clay is lucky to be staffed by a group of dedicated ceramicists who work diligently to keep the studio running. 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 Ryan Allen McDonald! Ryan (he/him) is the studio manager at our sister-studio, Rat City Studios, as well as a staff member at RCC. We are so thankful for the positive, bright, dedicated, and supportive energies he brings to all his roles. Ryan also teaches sessional classes, one night events, and individual lessons at Rain City Clay.
Ryan’s Bio:
I was born in Seattle, Washington, 1985. I grew up as an only child to a single mom. We didn't have much materially, but she did what she could, and that was always enough. I was a happy kid because of her love and care for me. Our extended family was also a haven of peace. Grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins are a continuous source of wisdom and reassurance as I travel life’s journey.
My first experience with pottery was in my late teens when I began attending Green River Community College. I graduated from there with my AA degree in 2008. After that, I started working in the trades as a flooring installer. I took to throwing again in 2018 at Moshier Community Art Center, where I eventually started to volunteer. Now I am an instructor there. The end of 2022 was a time of positive change for me. I started working at Rain City Clay as an instructor, at Rat City Studios as the Studio Manager, and I started my business: Ambivert Ceramics.
Life has been happy up to this point. Like most people, though, there have been challenges. My late twenties were the flashpoint in my enduring struggle with depression. Coming to a place of self-acceptance and taking accountability for my lack of inner peace has been a painful process. However, as societal stigma surrounding mental health recedes, I try to be open about the difficulties I’ve had. Getting the help I need has greatly improved my wellbeing and relationships with others. Part of what has helped is pursuing creative endeavors. If my work can inspire others to care for themselves and their neighbor from the inside out, all my artistic efforts will have been worth it.
I am greatly indebted to many people for encouraging me to pursue the life of a potter. They have helped me to support myself and loved ones financially, emotionally, and physically.
To my wife, mother, extended family, friends, mentors, colleagues, students, and patrons: Thank you.
Get to know ryan!
What is your favorite thing about being an RCC studio renter?
I really enjoy getting to know the visiting artists. During the time I have rented, Kayla Jackson, Brooke Felix, and Larry Laughlin have come through. Each one has a unique style of making, teaching, and conversing. It is a treat to get to meet and work with artists at different stages of development.
What has inspired your most recent work?
Slip carving is my favorite thing to do on my pieces. My college pottery instructor Paul Metiver got me hooked many years ago and I am still doing it. That, coupled with a fascination with soda and salt fired work is a main driver of what I am producing.
When is your favorite time during the day to create? / When are you most inspired?
I am most inspired within the space between waking and sleeping. It’s kind of strange, but I find during that time my mind has a free flow of creativity that I don't have as much access to when I am fully awake. I have recently been focusing on trying to improve the quality of my sleep and these moments of clarity are a reward for the effort. The real trick though, is to write these ideas down or sketch them out before they float away when I start my day.
How do you push through creative blocks?
Balance. No matter how bad you want to do something, or how many times you try, without rest, there is a point of diminishing returns. R&R is the key to processing new information and promoting growth. Therefore when I hit a wall in my studio practice, I take some time to connect with family, friends, and other interests in my life. This usually gets me back on track.
What advice would you give to Ryan 5 years ago?
I like the life I am living right now. To get here, everything that came before had to happen. However, it would be an understatement to call 2018 a personal rough patch. I’d tell myself:
Believe in yourself.
Change is inevitable.
Enjoy silence and solitude.
Do some gratitude journaling.
Let go of what has gone.
What's next for Ryan? Shows?
Since I like beer and want to start throwing larger forms, I’m in the research and development stage of making growlers with swing tops.
I am into wet shaving, so I am going to make some shave mugs and brushes for the Rain City Clay fall/winter pottery sale.
I am finishing some work for the upcoming plates and platters show at Jellyfish brewery.
Also, starting in October, I will be apprenticing under Deb Schwartzkopf as my mentor for a year. We were selected to receive a Studio Potter GAP Grant for 2023-2024. One of the things receiving this grant will allow me to do is take a class to further my education on glaze chemistry and formulation. I will also be making more work so that I can solo fire one of the gas kilns at Rain City Clay more often. It’s going to be a great year!
Artist Statement
I derive pleasure from making useful items of beauty for lovers of thoughtful craftsmanship.
The fundamentals of making pottery are a joy to refine daily. Executing them skillfully revolves around understanding a host of variables. Even when proficiently learned, one’s approach to pottery finds its unique expression. A technique that provides an outlet for my personal style is applying dark liquid clay to lighter clay bodies and carving freehand patterns into the resulting forms. Much of my work is finished this way, with exteriors often unglazed. This allows the natural attributes of the raw materials and the effects of the soda kiln the work is fired to shine.
Pottery from all of humanity’s cultural history interests me. My philosophy is that our collective is greater than the sum of its parts. However, from an aesthetic standpoint, I am drawn to the Japanese ceramics tradition. In particular, Shoji Hamada’s way of life and approach to being a potter influences my own. As I focus on making functional ware, and as an avid connoisseur and home-cook of Japanese cuisine, especially ramen, many of my current pieces are inspired by these elements.
I am committed to the unity of the human family. It is important that unpleasant aspects of our history be remembered to avoid repeating atrocities. As a descendant of American chattel slavery survivors, I must help people remember the pain that is bound up with the past and chained to the present. Therefore, the colors and designs I use in portions of my work are connected to my roots within the African Diaspora. This choice is not a nod to feelings of racial superiority or nationalistic pride. As a descendant of individuals who were denied their personal dignity and cultural history, I view it as my responsibility to honor both of those concepts as a part of my creative process.
While there are some somber aspects to my work, these are not the focus. What I love most is the process of making useful items out of clay and belonging to the global community of craftspeople. Thank you for taking an interest in my work. I am deeply grateful for the privilege to be a potter.