Staff Highlight: Juliann Choe

/ rain city clay/

JULIANN CHOE

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 crew members and their talents.

This month we are highlighting instructor Juliann Choe (she/her)!

Juliann Choe’s Bio:

I made my first tempera paint rainbow as a toddler and never looked back. I’m southern-grown but PNW-planted, and have taken art and play very seriously my whole life.  I was a public school elementary art teacher for 7 years, started pursuing a professional art career about 12 years ago, and have been a full-time artist for 2 years now! My creative process starts on the trail- soaking up the abundant inspiration from the Pacific Northwest’s lush evergreen forests, sea stack spotted coasts, and majestic mountains. I make dopamine-inducing, landscape-loving, fun fine art for all.

Get to know Juliann!

What do you like about being an RCC instructor?

I love the staff! Everyone is so kind, knowledgeable, and easy-going. I also love the south side of Seattle and have loved getting to know my community in a new way.

What are your inspirations or influences when making work?

I love making art that’s exciting and unique. I like to problem solve with my pottery, like creating functional items that are also sculptural or decorative, even when they aren’t being used. I also like pushing the boundary between realism and abstraction. Most of my pottery’s surface designs are inspired by my paintings or trail sketches.

How long have you been working with clay?

Since about 2012, with a brief hiatus because I didn’t have studio access, then picked it back up about 3 years ago.

If you had to pick one piece of yours to represent your artistic style, which would it be, and what makes it special to you?

Probably what I call my “produce shrine”.  I made it the year after I started my garden with hopes to display my precious home-grown veggies in it the following summer. I learn a lot through the process of creating this crazy stacked, multifaceted bowl set with multiple attachments, glaze combos, surface designs, and a combo of hand-built/wheel-thrown techniques. 

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

There’s this little built-in nook in my living room that is begging for one of those nature treasure wall hangings, so I’d really like to make one of those soon! I’d also like to make little animal birthday candle cake toppers, and I want to make my own colored slips.

What is your favorite part of the clay process?

Definitely the surface design! I love using underglazes and different glaze combos to hand paint scenes and abstract designs, mixing clay bodies for little unexpected speckled moments, adding attachments like loops and spikes, and playing with texture.

What advice would you give to Juliann 10 years ago?

Throw your phone across the room and make something ugly every day.  I let myself go through so many ruts of not making anything, and battled with impostor syndrome for so long. Just paint or play with clay to make your inner child proud. Just keep making stuff, draw the ideas in your head, try anything that interests you at least once, and your personal style will emerge with repeated practice. 

If your work was a musical genre, what would it be? 

I think it would be indie dream pop- bright, fun, and a little weird/experimental.

Do you like to listen to music or podcasts in the studio? If so, do you have a playlist or favorite musician, or show you'd like to share?

I have a playlist for basically every vibe or season. Lately, I’ve been missing the South through the eyes of my inner child. I’ve been listening to a playlist called homesick that is twangy, sweet, nostalgic, and full of yearning for a cozy, idyllic future home. 

What is your favorite tool?

I have a textured rib I love and use almost every time I throw to create lines on the bottom bevel of my forms. 

What is your favorite glaze/glaze combo/surface decorating technique/material?

I love to hand-paint with vibrant underglazes and have a matte outer surface with a glossy bright liner glaze like chartreuse or teal.

How do you push through creative blocks?

The biggest thing is to just show up to the studio and keep making something, even if it's ugly and you end up scrapping everything that day. I always feel better when I’m taking my creative practice seriously. If I’m not in the mood, I’ll play a show in the background or a great playlist, maybe get myself an extra coffee, and tune out the world.

Can you share a “happy accident” moment during your clay journey where an unexpected outcome turned into a unique and exciting element in your artwork?

I usually use BC6, but I accidentally used a B mix speckle clay for the handles on a BC6 mug one time.  loved the way it looked, and it didn’t crack or break away after firing, so I started mixing the clay bodies with attachments or slips in the surface design ever since.

If you could have any clay-making superpower, what would it be?

I think I’d just want to be a time wizard so I didn’t have to patiently wait for the drying time of every agonizing step of the process. 

If your clay creations could talk, what do you think they would say to you?

Are you ever going to glaze me?