We are so excited to host Denise Carrillo (she/her) as a visiting artist at Rain City Clay! Denise will be working in one of RCC’s semi-private studios for 3 months this spring. Denise has been a dedicated long time studio artist at our sister-studio Rat City Studios and we are looking forward to having her join us at RCC for a bit.

Denise’s Bio:

Denise has been working with clay for around 6 years while she worked full time in a corporate marketing role. Despite having limited time for clay projects while working full time, she consistently found the time and worked hard to grow her skills and create an impressive body of work. Recently, she’s been able to give more time to her clay practice, and she’s been loving it. Inspirations and influences in Denise’s work are architecture and tailoring (sewing). These influences manifest notably in the meticulously crafted slab-built pots that she creates.

Get to know Denise!

Denise’s Instagram

What is your favorite thing about being a Rat City Studios member?

One of my favorite things about being a Rat City Studios artist is having such a thoughtfully organized creative space to practice in. The nice big work surfaces and an overall culture of care (for our space and each other) is a good fit for me. The generous range of open hours and being ten minutes away from my house are pretty dreamy too.

What are you most looking forward to as a visiting artist at Rain City Clay?

Being at Rain City Clay - oh wow - SOOOOO excited to have my own space to practice in! Also, there are additional responsibilities as a visiting artist at RCC, different to being a member at RCS that I’m actually looking forward to taking on. The potential for more frequent firings and loading my own kiln feels somehow liberating - I’ll find out!

What are your inspirations & influences when making pottery?

Inspirations and influences in my work are both architecture and tailoring (or sewing). I love a good challenge when it comes to thinking about construction. I mostly do slab hand building so transforming flat planes of dirt into dimensional curvy shapes is a thrill. I love to explore extremes - from the most small and fragile porcelain with subtle surface treatment to large and bold stoneware with strong graphic pattern. I have a great appreciation for simplicity within those two extremes.

What is your favorite part of the clay process?

Favorite part of the clay process? Visualizing, sketching, constructing, decorating. Oh wait - that’s a lot of favorites. How about least favorite? Easy - wedging and glazing!

When do you feel most inspired?

Inspiration comes to me unexpectedly - least of all if I’m looking for it. I might see a shape or a pattern out of the corner of my eye in passing - in something completely unrelated to clay and if it sticks with me I’ll pursue an iteration in clay. Music is also a huge inspiration. Never not listening to music.

Listen to Denise’s playlist “CLAYNATION” on Spotify!

How do you push through creative blocks?

When I feel creatively blocked, I’ll completely walk away from whatever it is I’m stuck on and either do something very physical (dance, walk, dig a hole, plant a seed) or get out into open spaces for grounding and expanding. Happy to report though - that feeling creatively stuck isn’t a common experience for me. More of a challenge would be how to stay focused and recognizing the beauty of repetition.