The Summer of Exploration

The Summer of Exploration

By Keith Kreeger

My most feared question for the last couple of years has been, “so how’s the studio?” or “what are you working on?” For two years it has been easier to describe what I used to do versus what I am working on now. It’s been a pretty winding road to get to this point in time. A pandemic and a seismic shift in my business are just a couple of things that have changed my trajectory as an artist...

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Create More. Make Less.

Create More. Make Less.

By Keith Kreeger

I found one of my old notebooks during a recent studio cleanup. When I opened it up, I discovered the words “Create More, Make Less” written inside. The notebook is from 2018 and while I don’t remember writing that phrase, I’m very grateful that I did. My work has evolved a lot since then and it’s energizing to think about what I’ll be able to create using this simple phrase as my guide...

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Dinnerware on Pause

Dinnerware on Pause

By Keith Kreeger

A note about Dinnerware–

I am now deep into my third decade of making pottery. This is a fact that shocks me each and every time I say it. A common occurrence when I opened my first professional studio was for people to walk into the gallery and begin looking at my work. Roughly five minutes into their visit, they would stop and ask me where the potter was. I used to joke that while they were looking for an old man with a beard making the work, it was instead a baby-faced twenty-three year old’s work that they were checking out. Well, the joke is on me because I now bear a shocking resemblance to the old man potter with a beard everyone was looking for twenty-five years ago. Yes. I finally look like the potter that most people see in their head.

I love looking back at each of my decades of making to recognize the patterns and work that has come out of these moments. Like a lot of us, I was so sure I knew what I was doing when I was younger. What I didn’t know was what my work actually was. I was making things…pulling ideas from thousands of years of ceramics history alongside contemporary work that inspired me while trying to find my way in the world and my way in clay. I didn’t know when it was going to feel like I was truly making my work, but I did know that I was going to keep making things until I was able to sort that out. Along the way, I’ve had an incredible group of mentors and colleagues that pushed me in the right direction. 

Looking back at each of these periods I’m now able to see the big picture themes– 

  • Learning– gaining hand-skills, making as many pots as possible to learn as much as possible.

  • Building– understanding how to sell my work in different ways, my own gallery, retail craft shows, wholesale, etc…

  • Changing– moving to Austin and essentially beginning again. Working with Art of The Pot Studio Tour and finding new community and new ways to connect with clients. 

  • Building even more– Creating a new body of work and falling into the restaurant world. Creating a studio that could produce more work at the quality I expected. Growing this into a studio that worked with over forty chefs. Adding Porcelain Drops to my studio to continue to fulfill my need to be making one-of-a-kind works in the midst of a production studio. Opening a showroom for the growing retail demand.

  • Resetting things while our world reset.

  • Re-Resetting as I now know what I can and can’t…or rather, want and don’t want to have as part of my studio practice any longer.

The past year or so has been reinvigorating and has also had its challenges. One of the most difficult parts of my current studio practice has been trying to move in a new direction while holding onto the past. I know what I want to do and I’ve been trying to balance that with what I used to do. By far, the most difficult thing to process has been to reconcile all of that with what you think I do.

 

For the past ten plus years I have been almost singularly focused on dinnerware. Every decision about scaling up or down and, more importantly, if I should scale was viewed through the lens of making dinnerware. How could I continue to build the dinnerware side of my studio while simultaneously making one-off pieces that fulfilled the need I have to create new work.

Pre-covid, this all made a lot of sense. I had an amazing group of people in the studio that were fantastic at making pieces for the table. With so much talented help I was able to create a significant amount of dinnerware and am so proud of what was accomplished during this era.

As most of you know, I have been working alone since April 2020. Throughout this time I have held onto making dinnerware for a variety of reasons.

One– I love making things that get used regularly and nothing does so as concretely as dinnerware. Knowing that my work is used on a daily basis to nourish you, your friends, and your family has long felt like the pinnacle of my work.

Two– It has been the focus of my business for so long that it has felt almost impossible to not have dinnerware be the featured work I make. While my dinnerware is by no means an entry-level product, it is how many people first find my work and has been the core identity of my work for the past decade. It was frightening to think about stopping.

Three– It’s been fun. Really fun. My work has lived a much cooler life than I could have ever dreamed of. My work has created one-of-a-kind experiences at special places across Austin with my Make. Eat. Drink dinner series partnering with incredibly talented chefs. I’ve been fortunate to travel across the country to see my plates used at incredible restaurants serving incredibly special food. I’ve gotten to be part of special events with my work such as Billy Reid Shindig, backstage at ACL Festival, Feast Portland, and so many more amazing experiences. I’ve been lucky to see my plates show up in cookbooks, magazine spreads, and yes…they’ve even hit the big screen. It’s been quite a moment and it has lasted way longer than the fifteen minutes I thought my plates would have.

 

My relationship with dinnerware is not finished, but it is time for a transformation. You have probably noticed that there have been a variety of dinnerware pieces as part of my recent Porcelain Drops. This will continue and I’m excited for this next chapter/paradigm/version of dinnerware. I am, however, hitting pause on making dinnerware sets and am officially closing my waiting list.  

I’m very excited for what this change will bring. Throughout my studio life, each and every time I’ve stopped doing something in the studio, it has opened doors to so much more. I’m eager to see what happens without splitting my creative and physical energy between two versions of my studio.

I hope that you’ll continue to follow along because nothing happens in my studio without the support of so many of you and the devoted community that I’m so fortunate to have as I make my work.

Thank you,

Keith

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Photos– Outside of the Studio

Photos– Outside of the Studio

By Keith Kreeger

Last year my studio neighbor, @ivester_contemporary, invited me to be part of a group show at his gallery where functional artists make something non-functional and visual artists had to create something functional. I loved the idea and for months I played with ideas on what I could make in the studio– a wall piece, a lighting installation, and countless other departures from my normal studio practice. Nothing quite felt right, but I did have what felt like a crazy idea. For the past few years, I’ve been taking photos on a more regular basis. What had started as a tool to document my work in the studio, had begun to creep outside of my studio life. 

I have never printed and framed one of my photos before. I’m so glad I did with this image because I’m truly blown away to see something of mine printed at this scale. It is so far outside of my comfort zone and was so frightening to actually execute this idea. I know a lot about clay, but am definitely a novice when it comes to photography. I am grateful for my many talented photographer friends who have been so wonderfully open with sharing their vast knowledge. Thanks to @agaveprint for the beautiful print and guidance along the way.



The photo in the exhibition was taken in San Martin Tilcajete, a town about 45 minutes outside of Oaxaca City. As soon as we sat down to lunch at a remote restaurant in the middle of the valley my friend @aaron said, “Hey, do you want to go take some photos?” In that moment, I was like a little kid with a cooler, older friend. I don’t think I had gotten the word “yes” out before we jumped out of our chairs and left the rest of our group at the table. We strolled through the restaurant's property and found ourselves on the fence line bordering this field. As I was taking some photos of cows and the landscape, I saw this man moving slowly across the field. After five or ten minutes everything lined up for this shot.

I'm including a few more photos from the trip below because I'm excited to see what sharing more of my photography leads to.

 

 

 

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Cappuccino Cups

Cappuccino Cups

By Keith Kreeger

Making things for friends is probably the coolest thing I get to do in the studio. This particular piece came out of a conversation I was having with my friend, Chad Wadsworth. He was telling me about his ritual of making a cappuccino at home in the morning...

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Forming Connection

Forming Connection

By Keith Kreeger

Forming Connection has its roots in my very first ceramics class in college,
a class that I took to fulfill my art requirement. 
The opportunities that class
offered helped me to find my way in clay. Only weeks into learning the
basics of clay, the studio hosted a legendary visiting artist, Toshiko
Takaezu. I was fortunate enough to be in the studio at the right time and
that week I got to help while she made one of her large pieces. Her
presence, mentorship, and friendship had an impact that forever changed
the course of my life.

Forming Connection is a moment for me to revisit my earliest inspirations
and relationships I've had through clay. It is also a time for me to think
about what kind of space my work can hold in the world once it's out of my
studio. This collection is a chance for me to explore the idea of scale– both
of individual pieces and also a collection as a whole. Can a small piece
speak with the same intensity as a monumental centerpiece. Can a larger
form hold its ground, yet create space and allow other objects nearby to
find their voice? Can my work create a moment of simple joy while also
informing you of my intent, my dedication to my craft, my history, and the
history of others that have made work before me?

This collection premiered with an Installation in The Chapel at The Commodore Perry Estate on September 23rd, 2022.

Orbs from Forming Connection will be online during the Holiday Porcelain Drop on 12/12/2022.

 

*15% of all sales from this collection will be donated to the Andy Roddick Foundation. Through their after-school programs and summer camps, ARF is impacting change for children in Austin and beyond. ARF is a leader in creating opportunities for children and families when school is out.

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Spring 2022– Foundations

Spring 2022– Foundations

By Keith Kreeger

When I think about scale in my studio now, I focus on how to use my time in the studio to work deliberately and how to stay focused on new work. I think about what kind of space my work will hold in the world once it's out of the kiln. Can a small piece speak to you with the same intensity as a centerpiece bowl? Can a large vase hold its ground, yet create space and allow other objects nearby to shine? Can my work impact your life with simple joy on a daily basis and also still try to inform you of my intent, my dedication to my craft, my history, and the history of others that have made work before me.

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Old Studio, New Website

Old Studio, New Website

By Keith Kreeger

I often feel the need to explain what it is that I'm doing. I share my work and the thinking behind it often in my newsletters and on social media. My website, however, had been built for my previous studio life...

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A confession...

A confession...

By Keith Kreeger

I have to confess that I was dreading opening up my doors for the Austin Studio Tour. I’ve been working alone in my studio since April 2020 and so much has changed in here since I last had anyone in this space. I have opened up things in my personal life a lot more than I had here in the studio and was worried what finally opening my doors would mean...

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Austin Studio Tour: November 13-14 and November 20-21

Austin Studio Tour: November 13-14 and November 20-21

By Keith Kreeger

Big News...I'll be opening my studio doors to the public for the first time since 2020! 

The Austin Studio Tour– what you may know as EAST and WEST has been combined into one event spanning three weekends. I'll be open for the two that include East Austin.

You can expect to see a whole lot of works-in-progress, a whole lot of finished work, and some of my newest large-scale work. I feel like my big work never translates completely online, so I'm thrilled to be able to share these works in-person with you. I'll get you details and hours soon. If you'd like to learn more about the Austin Studio Tour in general, you can check out Big Medium for the scoop.

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Expectations, Failures, and Time...

Expectations, Failures, and Time...

By Keith Kreeger

Going into this week I thought that I would be unloading beautiful pieces from my kiln and getting ready to share them with you today. Typically that moment when I’ve just finished throwing a form, is my absolute favorite moment in the process. That freshly thrown piece is glistening and full of opportunity. From that time, I’m working hard to get it through the rest of the steps so I can get that new piece glazed and fired. Unloading a finished piece is my second favorite moment. It's when every touch of my hand and all of the energy I’ve put into my work is finally ready to be shared as an actual object. This particular week, my kiln had other ideas and took a whole lot of my work (and a lot of my excitement) as a sacrifice. 

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Summer School

Summer School

By Keith Kreeger

After my last Porcelain Drop we headed back up to Cape Cod. It's where my first studio was born, where our kids were born, and where we're fortunate enough to get back to to gather with the rest of my family.

It was the reset I needed. I took the social media apps off my phone, picked up a couple of books, listened to some podcasts, ate some glorious vacation food (lobster rolls, chowder, and more fried food than is advisable), and I took an actual break. While I was up there I realized that this was one of the first real breaks I've had in a really long time. Full studio shutdown. Email auto-reply. No social media. It was pretty fantastic and I'm so thankful for having that time.

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Old Molds

Old Molds

By Keith Kreeger

Today I threw out almost all of my plaster slipcasting molds from the studio. 


Why did I do that? They’ve helped me make hundreds of pieces like my Gramercy Vases, specialty pieces for a few clients, and small bowls. They’re also pieces that I haven’t been making since I’ve been working in the studio solo. These were the objects I’d start making again when I turned things back on to full blast and got back to the speed in the studio like before. The thing is– I’m kind of digging the speed that I’m moving at...

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Big Things. Bright Things.

Big Things. Bright Things.

By Keith Kreeger

There have always been two tracks here in the studio...dinnerware and everything else. Dinnerware is probably what y'all know me best for and what I spend the most amount of time thinking about and working on. For this update, we’re going to push dinnerware aside for a bit, because I need to share everything else that I’ve been doing in the studio...

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Why? The Hard Part of Making.

Why? The Hard Part of Making.

By Keith Kreeger

I first wrote a draft of this about a year ago while we were in the beginnings of pandemic. Then, shortly after the fallout from Winter Storm Uri here I revisited it and turned it into a caption on Instagram. Not all of you are interested in the why of making, but it's just about all I think about. What I make is easy to share. How I make is exciting to share. Why...that's the most difficult thing to explain and honestly, at times it feels like I'm screaming it into a void that is filled with the distractions of our more modern society...That said, here's a bit of why–

When I don’t take my craft for granted, I step back and remember that the tradition of ceramics is one that connects to a long history of human beings making objects to be used by those in their community. What I make is not at all necessary in the same way it was when people first needed to store, cook, or serve food and water. When I need a little wake-up call back into this thinking, I think about a single bowl...a one thousand year old piece that I have been fortunate enough to hold.


That single object is the memory I come back to when I need reminding of the power an object can hold. It is a small, simple monochrome bowl from the Pre-Classic Mayan period. Unlike the thousands of other bowls that remain from that time period, this one has a simple embellishment. It has these faceted sides which are different from any piece I have ever held. These modest alterations are about half-way up the form, no more than one inch wide, flattened out ever so slightly and coming to a point on the exterior wall of the bowl. Every time I see this pot I wonder how and why this was done. Every time I see that bowl I think about a moment, one thousand years ago, when a person made the decision to alter this piece. That person’s decisions, action and thumbprints have survived to this day. I have never tried to make my “version” of that bowl. I have never tried to figure out the technique that was used. It has not influenced my work in the traditional sense. But, that piece is the one that pushes its way to the front of my mind when I try to find meaning for my work. That piece reminds me that the decisions we make as humans are long-lasting.


That bowl reminds me that each piece I make is part of a simple human tradition, tens of thousands of years old and that the decisions in my work will outlast me to hopefully become part of the vast tradition of my medium.


While I continue to sort out my path inside my studio, I hope that every once in a while when you use my work it can bring you somewhere other than the moment you’re in and into the community around you.

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The Big Spring 2021 Studio Update

The Big Spring 2021 Studio Update

By Keith Kreeger

As I work more deliberately and slowly, the trickiest part of my studio practice has been building up enough work to fill this website with new work. THE GOOD NEWS– it's finally happening. I'm at that moment where I've spent so much time thinking about what's next that I didn't even realize I was already doing it. It is well past time to let y'all know what's been happening in here.

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Share This Dish: Tortilla Española

Share This Dish: Tortilla Española

By Keith Kreeger

This is a very simple, but slightly intimidating dish. Don't worry...you've got this. Also...this is my first attempt at recipe writing and I'm fully aware that I'm better at making plates than writing recipes. Regardless, here's the basic recipe I use to  make a Tortilla Española at our house!

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Donate for a Discount

Donate for a Discount

By Keith Kreeger

This is from my most recent newsletter–

Hey friends,
You're a big part of my community and work, and I wanted to check in with an update and action from Keith Kreeger Studios. 

Although the studio is closed, my online store is open for business...many thanks to all who are keeping #KKontheTable going. I know we will re-open the studio and get back to making the work we love as soon as possible. While I'm asking you to continue to support my work, I'm also asking that you donate to any number of organizations that are on the ground doing the work to make sure we have neighborhoods full of small businesses on the other side.

Let's work together to keep our communities strong. Email me a receipt of your donation to any organization listed below and I will send you a discount code to use on my website for 20% off anything in the shop.  My hope is that your generosity in the community is more than I could ever do alone.
*Our "Donate for a Discount" program will run from now until May 1.

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Seconds & Sample Sale

KK Seconds & Sample Sale

By KK Studios Showroom

KK Seconds & Sample Sale. You love them. We love them. We're always thrilled to announce our Seconds & Sample sale. Here's the scoop about why we hold these sales, what you can expect to find... and what on earth a second or sample even means in the KK world.

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Introducing The KK Holiday Market

Introducing The KK Holiday Market

By Keith Kreeger Studios

There is no need to stress about gifts this year. We all know that holiday shopping can frightening, disheartening and dreadful...but don't worry, I've got you.

For the first year ever, I've stocked the Showroom with a variety or work, from a variety of folks, to help make your gifts stand out.

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Why I don't do Black Friday

Why I don't do Black Friday

By Keith Kreeger

Every year November rolls around and suddenly all of the marketing campaigns kick into full gear. Sales, discounts, BOGO and more flash across my various screens. It can be more than a little overwhelming, and honestly…who doesn’t love a good deal. As a small business owner, the pressure to join the Black Friday/Cyber Monday fray is contagious.

Last year, after a lot of thought, I made a conscious decision to remain small. It was a struggle to come to this decision with some of the opportunities that were ahead. Ultimately, this decision allowed me to stay involved in the making process in a way I would not be able to do if I kept expanding. I can continue to create and deliver the quality of work that I am proud to put my name on, and I can continue to support a small, talented team to help me in the studio and showroom.

All of this is to say, this year, I will not do Black Friday or Cyber Monday. While it is easy for small businesses to look bigger than we are (thank you Shopify, Mailchimp, and Instagram), many of us are independent artists, and we are a lot smaller than the internet makes us seem. I know I often get sucked into the desire to look bigger (and act bigger) than I really am. It alway seems smart to offer free shipping during the holidays. Almost everyone from the smallest of businesses to someone like Target does so. The truth is my work is heavy, and my team and I pack extra carefully. That leads to shipping costs that aren't quite...Prime.

I have tried to do the deals before...the free shipping...the holiday discounts and more. Each time I do so, I get mad at myself. I make my work with intent…I make work for a reason, and my team and I make it year-round, staying true to our mission to get the best work we can make into your homes so you can use it on a daily basis. We are small and we are different, therefore we don’t play by the same rules that the big dogs do. 

I'm fully aware that my work may seem expensive, and I don't disagree. I also strongly believe that the value is there. I have spent a lot of time developing my craft and creating my collections. I know that not everyone can afford full-priced wares all the time. I do Seconds & Sample sales a few times a year when there are order overruns and older items. I love these moments because I want to make sure our community in Austin, which has been so supportive, has a chance to bring some porcelain home. I'm also planning to do some flash sales via Instagram to share the love with our non-Austin friends. Look for more of this soon.  

Thank you, as always, for supporting the work my team and I do. We love making your plates and vase and cups and mugs...and we look forward to doing so for a very long time.

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That's a Wrap! East Austin Studio Tour 2019

That's a Wrap! East Austin Studio Tour 2019

By Keith Kreeger

Thank you all for coming to visit us during EAST. I'm always amazed and inspired to see how this city gets out to explore the creative community and support the working artists that help make this city such a gem.

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Ceramics Monthly Featured Article

Ceramics Monthly Featured Article

By Keith Kreeger

Mom, I made the cover. It has been a long-time dream of mine to be included alongside the professionals and artists who grace the pages of Ceramics MonthlyI was honored that they asked me to share my story—and absolutely blown-away to see my work on the December cover. Would love to hear what you think.

-Keith

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All Things Dinnerware with Keith Kreeger

All Things Dinnerware with Keith Kreeger

By Keith Kreeger Studios

You’ve been making dinnerware for a long time. Why the new collection, why now? The different pieces in our Gramercy dinnerware collection evolved over time as we were creating specific pieces for chefs we work with. Over the past few years we’ve really refined our plates and bowls, and this past summer we focused on filling-out the collection. 

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