Today we’d like to introduce you to Leah Schaperow.
Leah, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started out working at multiple studios in the Washington DC and Maryland area to learn the different ways of creating work and running a studio. My first job in a ceramic studio was working as a ceramics technician for a community studio in a student union of the University of Maryland. This place gave me the room to learn and grow. I was given a lot of independence and responsibilities. A few years later I was managing the studio and hiring ceramic technicians myself. I overhauled the studio and streamlined the process by starting community clay and changing the layout of the studio. I created a safety video and trained my new technicians.
Being part of the glazing team at a studio in Washingtonian DC helped me grow my knowledge and skills with raw materials. By reading books and magazines I learned more nuances of ceramic art and attended lectures and workshops.
Has it been a smooth road?
I went to a few artist markets starting, and one time I sold nothing and had paid a booth fee.
Tell us more about the business.
I specialize in altered thrown ceramics. One of my lines is ornate teapots decorated in sculpted flora and fauna. These teapots are meant to be used to elevate the everyday experience of drinking tea. I use luster and create blue and purple variegated glazes on my functional work. In experimenting with glaze recipes and firing methods, I must relinquish control. Each new work emerges from the kiln transformed by the heat, telling new stories about the interactions between nature and human’s struggle for control. Sometimes a glossy surface appears as a frozen lake or flowing lava. As an artist, I work to create my vision of the world around me, but I never gain full control of the surroundings. Through creating my work, I gain new perspectives of the world.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I see more community and collaboration among ceramic artists. I believe the trends will be able the raw materials going into ceramic art and what that means for the environment. I think the fast fashion mindset will change to the idea of quality instead of quantity.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.milkoolongstudio.com
- Email: leah.schaperow@gmail.com
- Instagram: instagram.com/milkoolongstudio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/milkoolongstudio
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