Simon Levin Studio
In 1993 I fell in love with the movement of flame through a wood-kiln. Its sensuous quality is something I seek to capture in my work with soft forms, full curves and flame paths etched into the surface. This quest led me to an M.F.A. from the University of Iowa. I now own Mill Creek Pottery in Illinois, where my apprentices and I work to advance the cause of wood-fired pottery.
In 2013 I was a Fulbright Senior Scholar in Taiwan exploring the potential of local materials. Recently I have been a visiting artist, lecturer and kiln builder at The China Academy of the Arts in Hangzhou. There my apprentices and I have been bringing a technology that originated in Asia and has evolved in the incubator of the United States back to Asia. Clay is central to my life.
— Simon Levin
Why Woodfire
There are so many easier, more efficient ways to make pottery, but efficiency is an industrial measuring stick. Efficiency is about the immediate moment. Love of process, love of effect, and the communication of that love between maker and user are lasting and timeless. I woodfire, and have dedicated my life to wood firing, out of the very primal human connection we have with earth and fire. The work I make is a usable narrative of intentional choice and interaction with a wildly elemental system.
Oh, and wood firing itself is boss as hell!
Workshops
Clay Cohorts
Once a year, I take on 10 students in an expanded workshop. Over a year’s time, we meet as individuals and as a group to move the conversation, ideas, and the work to the next level. We end the year with a weeklong wood fire workshop in my Train Kiln in Central Illinois. The length and breadth of this workshop allows for iterations, the quiet work between discussion is so vital to progress. This class is for the intrinsically motivated student who has access to studio space but is hungry for feedback and mentoring. This course covers
The Intimate Anagama
This two-week workshop is designed to not only answer a lot of the questions you have about wood firing, but to empower you in the process. Students load and fire the Mill Creek anagama kiln guided through the process by me and my apprentices. The wood, the kiln, glazes and instruction are provided but you will find yourself immediately thrown into the decision-making and smart work that defines a firing. Anagama kilns are one of the most beautiful and involved methods of wood firing, thus students leave with a deeper understanding of the process and a whole lot of finished pottery.
Taking Ownership:
Custom Kilns: built for you
My work really didn’t become my own until I had my own kiln. I was able to get reliable results and answers to my experimentation. The consistent information gave me ideas on which I was able to build, all because I had my own kiln. I have built many kilns for colleges and universities across the country, and internationally. Any good kiln starts with a discussion about your needs, desires, fuel, and community resources. If you would like to start that conversation or find out more about upcoming wood kiln build workshops please reach out.
Studio Artists
Simon Levin
Mike Tavares - Past Apprentice
Brian Chen - Past Apprentice
Mill Creek Apprentices
For the past 17 years I have worked with some great young people, investing in them and they, in turn, have made Mill Creek Pottery a better place. So many have become successful ceramicists and are making exciting work. The apprentice program is an intense year of work and learning. Unlike many apprenticeships of old, we don’t teach an aesthetic tradition but rather a way to think. The apprentices leave thoughtful and intentional, with voices in clay that are beginning to resonate.
Learn more about the studio!
We would love to connect with you more often and more directly. Sign up here and give us a chance to keep you up to date on events and opportunities. We value our connection with you through clay, and would like to share our excitement with the material and process.