Meet The Potter
Dylan Alvarado
What is your name and pronouns? Dylan Alvarado; He/They
How long have you been a Member of The Potters’ Studio? A little over a year now.
What is your everyday occupation? I am the Studio Coordinator at The Potters’ Studio.
When did you begin working with clay, and what is the story behind your first memorable piece? I started meaningfully working with clay in 2015, at the end of my first year at SAIC. I don’t know that I have a memorable piece, but I do remember sitting down at the wheel for the first time and realizing that it was the missing piece in practice and life. I had gone to school to study photography and architecture, two things which I care for deeply, but I was feeling lost. Those early moments on the wheel were so incredibly cathartic and revelatory, I knew that clay was something important and worth pursuing.
Could you share who or what most shaped your artistic vision early in your life? Creative Growth and the “Mission School” both played a huge part in my understanding of where “Art” comes from and how we can live in and around it. I spent a lot of time at Creative Growth growing up and witnessing so much deep and honest creativity showed me the path to the place where I find my work. The Mission School is such a prevalent fixture in the Bay and my community that it seems a bit of an obvious choice, but some of the first memories I have of really thinking about art was seeing Cheryl Dunn’s photos of Barry and Margaret painting.
How would you describe your work? I strive to make work that is holistic and present. Make of that what you’d like.
Can you tell us about your transition from the Chicago art scene to the Bay Area, and how that move has shaped your artistic practice? Honestly, being in Chicago was such a blur of frenzied making, anxiety and exploration that it is really hard to compare. It wasn’t until the last year of school that I even had an inkling of what I was looking for in myself and the ‘art world.’ It’s such a massive place with so much going on that it was incredibly jarring coming from The Bay, which has a very calm and contemplative ‘scene’ ... it’s a bit apples and oranges. The most formative part of being there for me was being able to spend nearly all of my time making work, and learning that I cannot live somewhere cold.
What inspires you most: form, glaze, or firing (e.g., soda firing)? I don’t know that any singular element in pottery inspires me more than another. I am most inspired to make when I can envision an object and know that it stands on its own and has its own history. I like to think of making as the act of finding pots where they are. Through investigation and exploration, I can meet them, like taking a journey to find an old friend.
Who are some artists you admire? Some people and studios that I recently have been inspired by are: Cheryl Dunn, Simone Leigh, Don Carlos Andrade, Ursula Hargens, Diane Dal- Pra, Jay Nelson, Ronald Rael, and Ben Styer.
What piece of advice has had the greatest impact on your ceramics practice? William O’Brian once said to me “Look at less art.” This has been very influential for me. While he had meant it literally, I think about it more so as don’t see other’s artwork when I am making. It’s a reminder to try and pull from inside of intuition.
What are your favorite ways to stay environmentally conscious as a potter? Recycle whatever I have, whenever I can. I don’t operate at that quick of a pace to create a lot of waste as output, but I reuse and repurpose whenever I can.
How do you balance producing creative work with the demands of your profession, family, and other life responsibilities? Currently figuring this one out! I’m trying to move away from a mode of making that leads to me making feverishly in the weeks leading up to a firing and burning out, but there is so little time it can be hard to find consistent working time. It is especially challenging during the spring/summer when I have a lot of garden work that I have to get done.
What’s the most indispensable item in your studio or workspace? If I am being realistic, it is a towel. I cannot stand not having a way to wipe my hands off while I am trying to work. If I am a little less boring, about a year ago, I came across a thick-gauge metal serrated rib with a right angle on it that I have used on nearly every piece I have made since then. After many a refiling and flattening it has become such a fun mark maker and is pretty indispensable in my current surface repertoire.
Given your connection to outdoor spaces, structures, and nature, how does your work in clay engage with these environments? Intrinsically, clay work is tethered to our environment both naturally and culturally. While I don’t tend to actively think about how my work will engage in natural spaces, I do try to make objects that carry the same density and thoughtfulness as elements found in nature. I draw a lot of creative energy from being in and around nature, which I hope to bring to my practice as much as I can.
What’s the most inspiring thing you’ve seen, read, watched, or listened to recently? Spring in the garden is inspirational in countless ways! The energy of growth makes me feel inspired to simply exist. Also, Mos Def’s flip of The Isley Brother’s Groove With You has been living in my head for weeks now as a warmly invited guest.
What does a perfect day in the studio look like for you? Waking up early, eating a good breakfast, tending to the garden for a while, heading to the studio mid-morning, having a clean studio to welcome me, projects at all stages of work and plenty of ideas- then having the energy to work through lunch into early evening. Sunshine and a good bubbly beverage also help. Nothing fancy, just a good 8-hour day of solid work where I start some stuff, finish some stuff, and get some ideas out.
If you had a small grant to complete a project you're planning or currently working on, which would you choose? A couple of months ago, I began drafting designs for a steel trellis system that I would love the chance to build and install.
Interview article and photography by Inhae Lee