Welcome New Member Ariana Kolins

What do you make and how did you start creating your art?

I am a clay artist who makes sculptural, functional and sculptural/functional work.  I’ve been working with clay for over ½ my life, in Brooklyn, North Carolina, Maine, Tennessee, Northern Ireland, New Orleans, and most recently Portland Oregon- where I finished a post-baccalaureate in Ceramics from the Oregon College of Art and Craft.  Having just moved to Albany I’m continuing to make and learning about what this region of the world has to offer.

For most of my clay life I have worked with slabs, recently I fell in love with pinching, and I can’t get enough of it.    

If you could go back in time to the beginning stages of your venture, what advice would you give yourself?

I feel like I am still in the beginning stages of my venture.  And the advice I give myself daily is to believe in myself and everything takes lots of work and time, so be patient and go one step at a time. 

What inspires you?

Good conversation, good tea, an un-pinched ball of clay in my hands, the excitement of my last piece and the possibility it holds for the next. (…and a deadline.)

What makes your work different from other people who create items that are similar to yours or in your media?

Many potters make their pots using the wheel.  I have recently chosen to go back to the basics and perfect the first technique most people work with clay do, making a pinch pot. Pinching my pieces by hand, a slow meditative process, for me strengthens my connection to the piece, and strengthens my connection to the person using the pot. 

Where do you sell your work?

Currently VAM, local craft fairs, and within the next week or so, ETSY

How did you hear about VAM?

I heard about VAM from a new friend, encourager, and good resource (I just moved to the area a few months ago,) who said that there was interesting work, good people and a good organization.  So I decided to check it out, and here I am.