Meet Trace Turner | Ceramic Artist, and Functional Ware Pottery

We had the good fortune of connecting with Trace Turner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Trace, do you have any habits that you feel contribute to your effectiveness?
I heard from a business coach that “owning your own business is like being an elite athlete”. I kind of scoffed at that Idea initially, now however I can see the discipline and health (both mental and physical) aspects completely correlate. The mental ability to overcome the sometimes debilitating fears and self doubt, was for me the starting point for some major life changes and new habits. The first being, I gave up drinking alcohol completely. It was way to easy for me to have a nightcap when the fears and problems surfaced, and considering everything I was doing was new and confronting, that was a lot of nightcaps. I also started having cold showers first thing in the morning. I’ve been doing this for about 9mths and love it, how you become addicted to cold showers is beyond me, but I am. Not only does it shake me into full aliveness for the day, it has had some fabulous side effects, like really soft skin. After the cold shower I meditate for 40 mins. Meditation was already part of my life. Four years ago I went to a week-long meditation retreat, so I have been building that practise over time, now through personal experience, I am very aware of the health benefits, I am less bothered by difficult people and situations than before, but surprisingly even though I am managing my business alone, I don’t feel lonely and believe this is related to meditation directly. The final thing that is now becoming a habitual idea is that no matter how bad things look, I will find a way to continue, it’s all part of the journey.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
It was when I was living in Tucson, that I came across the work of Maria Martinez, I wasn’t practicing ceramics then, but found myself drawing pictures of bowls constantly. The technicques employed to achieve such a rich depth of surface without glaze fascinated me. The shiny gunmetal black surface had ignited something with-in almost like a memory. It wasn’t until years later when I decided to study Ceramics did I become aware of burnishing (using a stone or metal spoon to polish half dried pottery) and polishing slip and pit firing. These techniques used are so simple, natural yet so effective in alluring the viewer to want to touch the surface. This is what ceramics is all about for me, drawing out the desire to want to touch, hold, and contemplate the object.

These techniques I employ all revolve around, less chemical, less waste, and a desire to produce something beautiful. I use anything in my local vacinity to burn as surface decoration. I settle the piece amongst the flamable matterial in a old paint tin, then fire to around 1200f. I now live by the beach so I use seaweed which produces the orange to yellow range of colours, and palm leaves, which produce more apricot colours and anything combustable works as the carbon is infused into the clay body to turn grey to black. This process is so natural, I can use the after burn ash, on my garden. On sculptural work I use terrasiggilla (a type of liquid clay) mixed with oxides and pigments.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Definitly Fraser Island for a few nights, including a dive with the whales. Our little local coffee shop – operation underground. Skating, on the bike track because I just bought new skates and dinner at ‘Banksia’ for some fresh sea food.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Oh my mum for sure and my brother. They haven’t always been supportive, my mum tried to push me into business studies at school, even though my highest marks were in the Arts. She was just afraid I wouldn’t make a living. Now though she is my biggest supporter as is my brother. Dr Joe Dispenza week-long retreat, changed me profoundly. I am lucky to have girlfriends around me, that are genuinely happy for me when I succeed which is so comforting, these ladies are like starlight. But I have special thanks to Nat, her and her shop ‘Hatch’ hold a special place in my heart,

Website: traceofclay.com.au

Instagram: trace_of_clay

Facebook: Trace Turner

Image Credits
@joelweaver