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 and studio technician Irene Stivers Nelson (she/her)!

Irene’s Bio:

Irene Stivers Nelson has always been fascinated by nature and grew up running around the forests and dunes of California’s Central Coast. She studied fashion design at UC Davis, her culminating work a surrealism-based fashion collection with sea creatures emerging from and encrusting the garments. After college, Irene worked in design of various forms – first bridal gowns, later graphic and user experience design – before finding her artistic passion in ceramics. She began taking pottery classes through the Seattle Parks and Recreation Department in 2018. Irene primarily creates ceramic sculptures and reliefs. Her work celebrates nature, with underlying themes of infinity, shifting dimensionality, and surrealism.

What have you liked about being an RCC instructor, and what are you looking forward to learning as a technical assistant?

I’m really enjoying sharing my love of clay and seeing what my students are inspired to make. It’s especially lovely to watch how their work develops as the session progresses. And the students themselves are awesome! I’ve been having a lot of fun.

There is so much for me to learn as a new technical assistant! I’m probably the most excited to learn more about kiln loading and firing, but I just want to be a sponge and absorb all I can.

What are your inspirations / influences when making work?

Most of my current work is very heavily inspired by a 2018 trip to Antarctica. The stark landscape and enigmatic animals colonized my brain, I guess. I couldn’t get enough (even the penguin smell didn’t phase me) and while falling asleep I just saw an endless living wallpaper of penguins and seals on a rocky beach.

I suspect I’ll be working on Antarctic themes for years to come, but not forever. However, I’d be surprised if my work ever turns away from animals and the natural world.

How long have you been working with clay?

I started taking ceramics classes in 2018, through the Seattle Parks and Rec department. The classes were at the Alki bathhouse, and those magical sunsets probably made me love clay even more. Then the pandemic put a damper on things and I didn’t work with clay for several years. I became a member at Rat City Studios in 2023 and that’s when I started working a lot more intensely.

Is there something you’ve wanted to try making that you’ve never made before or haven’t made in a long time?

I have an Antarctic cathedral installation in mind! But as of yet I haven’t made sculptures that require fitting large parts together, so there will be a big learning curve for me. Aside from that, I want to level up at throwing bigger vessels to serve as bases for relief carving and sculpture.

What is your favorite tool?

I have a little cuticle tool that I love for carving. I use both ends constantly and love that I can just flip it in my hand and keep going. I recently discovered that my box of needleless “luer slip” syringes (left over from medicating a pet) make fantastic slip trailing tools.

When do you feel most inspired?

I’m most inspired when I’m away from screens: either on a nature walk, while trying to fall asleep, or in the studio. Inspiration striking when I sit down at a hand building table is a mixed blessing, though, as it leads to me ignoring works in progress or longstanding ideas in favor of something new and shiny.

What is your favorite surface decorating technique?

My big surface decorating love is relief, whether that’s carved low relief, sculpted high relief figures, or something in between. I do a lot of underglaze washes. My favorite studio glazes are the Dark Turquoise and the Celadon.

What valuable lessons have you learned along your artistic journey that you wish you knew when you first began?

It took me a long time to really understand and appreciate the power of temporary supports for sculptural work, to realize that a piece doesn’t necessarily have to be able to rest flat on a table or support itself in its greenware form.

What's next for Irene? Shows? Etc?

I recently shipped a couple pieces across the country for group shows at Companion Gallery (Last Call X, opened 3/7) and The Clay Studio (Small Favors, opening 4/10). So that’s been very exciting for me! I’m making more work with shows in mind, including our upcoming Jellyfish cup show, but trying to balance that with making larger sculptural work.

Blog

Staff Highlight: Irene Stivers Nelson

Get to know Irene!