Adrina Richard
licensed to kiln
artist statement
Sometimes I dream of shaping clay. I think about how people — perhaps thousands of years ago — used fired clay for activities ordinary to them, like eating, cooking, and storing. But pottery was also commemorative, representing some event, person or idea meaningful to their lives that they wanted to share and remember.
Pottery links the shaper, users, and admirers together, forming a community that is intrinsically human. Each pot reflects the textures, shapes, colors and forms that influence the potter and conveys these choices to others. I love that.
Working in clay presents infinite possibilities. Almost anything can be made from clay. The limitations are of desire, energy, interest and skill of the potter. No matter what I learn or create there is more to explore. Different clays ranging from dark grog to pristine porcelain; various methods of construction including wheel thrown, altered and hand built; glazing of all kinds; and wildly different types of firings add to the endless possibilities.
a bit about my process
I handbuild my stamped and textured forms with white stoneware and porcelain. The vessels reflect a contemporary, minimalist sensibility. I favor stains to highlight the texture in my vessels, and eschew glazes that overpower the form and its surface. I use glazes on the interior for contrast and functionality. My forms range from the functional to architecturally complex decorative vessels.
bio
Born to survivors of the Armenian Genocide, Adrina Richard is a first generation American whose upbringing was immersed in the rich combination of two cultures, the near east and the new world.
Growing up, Adrina was surrounded by artists, her father was a professional musician, her mother, and many female members of her family were experts in sewing, crocheting, and knitting — as well as culinary arts.
Both an avid and lifelong collector of ceramics, Adrina was enticed into the world of creating pottery by her best friend. In 2004, nearing the end of her 35-year career in higher education, Adrina made her first pot and she never looked back.
Clay has become Adrina’s passion. She has participated in numerous workshops, experimenting with techniques, forms and methods, developing a style of her own. Full of textures and impressions, Adrina’s work is evocative of her fascination and love of ancient arts, which have surrounded her throughout her life.
Adrina has worked as an artist-in-residence and studio assistant for many years at MudFire Clayworks & Gallery in Decatur, Georgia. She has also participated in numerous regional shows and exhibits work in several regional galleries.
shows and events
2016
2016 Make Room 4 Directions: East, American Craft Council, Atlanta, GA
American Craft Council Baltimore Show, Baltimore, MD
American Craft Council Atlanta Show, Atlanta, GA
2015
Annual Perspectives: Georgia Pottery Invitational
Summer Swan Invitational, curated by Marianne Lambert
Fired Works, Macon Arts Alliance, Macon, GA
American Craft Council Atlanta Show, Atlanta, GA
2014
Annual Perspectives: Georgia Pottery Invitational
Fired Works, Macon Arts Alliance, Macon, GA
American Craft Council Atlanta Show, Atlanta, GA
2013
Annual Perspectives: Georgia Pottery Invitational
Summer Swan Invitational, curated by Marianne Lambert
Fired Works, Macon Arts Alliance, Macon, GA
American Craft Council Atlanta Show, Atlanta, GA
2012
Annual Perspectives: Georgia Pottery Invitational
Fired Works, Macon Arts Alliance, Macon, GA
2011
Annual Perspectives: Georgia Pottery Invitational
2010
MudFire Holiday Show 2010, MudFire Gallery, Decatur, GA
education
2015
Cythia Bringle Workshop – Wildacre, NC
2012
Molly Hatch – MudFire
Forest Lesch Middleton – MudFire
2011
Kristen Kieffer – Alteration and Ornamentation, MudFire
Rimas VisGirda – Silk Screen Decals Made Easy, MudFire
Diana Fayt – MudFire
2010
Diana Fayt – Drawing a Line, MudFire
Akira Satake – Inspired by Nature, MudFire
2009
Sandy Pierantozzi – From Flat to Form to Function, MudFire
Nancy Selvin – Still Life with Print, MudFire
Arthur Gonzalez – Sculpting Inside Out, MudFire
2008
Leah Leitson – Function Gets Expressive, MudFire
Kari Radasch – Making Pots Inside Out & Upside Down, MudFire
Jeff Oestreich – Attention to Detail, MudFire
Steven Branfman – Raku Spectacular, MudFire
Richard Notkin – Ceramic Art/Sculptural Teapots, MudFire
Cynthia Consentino – Figure Stories, MudFireMudFire
2007
Friends Reflection on 35 Years – Rick Berman & Ron Meyers, MudFire
Christina Cordova – Figurative Intuitions, MudFire
Judith Duff – Functional Compositions, MudFire
Louise Radochonski – Express Your Figure, MudFire
Andy Ruble – Find Your Throwing Bliss, Sierra Nevada College
Bill Van Gilder – Exploring Pouring: Pots that Pour, Sierra Nevada College
Kathy King, Michael Schmidt & Stacey Stanhope – Photo/Graphic Imaging in Clay, MudFire
Annette Gates – Functional Delicacies: Handbuilding in Porcelain, MudFire
John Britt – Reduction Firing & Ceramic Glazes, MudFire
Molding a Playful Depth, MudFire
Wally Asselberghs – Exploring Naked Raku, MudFire
2006
Nick Joerling – Lecture & Demo Workshop, Callanwolde
Tony Clennell – Selling Everything but Out, MudFire
Andy Nasisse – Looking for Life in Clay, MudFire
Mark Shapiro – Teapots, etc., MudFire
Ron Roy – Understanding Clay & Glaze Chemistry, MudFire
Debra Fritts – Story Telling, Narrative Sculpture, MudFire
Silvie Granatelli – Setting the Mood for Food, MudFire
Lisa Clague – Drawing in Clay with Metal, MudFire
Liz Quackenbush – Ornament & Abstraction, MudFire
2005
Gay Smith – Working Wet, MudFire
Po-Wen Liu & Yosuke Koizume – Throwing & Handbuilding, MudFire
Kathy Triplett – Handbuilding Clay for the Wall, MudFire
Mark Issenberg – Intro to Ash Glazes, MudFire
Gwen Fryar – Majolica: Clay as Canvas, MudFire
Joy Brown – Sculpting with Joy, MudFire
2004
Rick Berman – The Teapot, MudFire
Mark Peters – Thrown & Altered Forms, Mudfire
Kathy King – I Love Surface, MudFire