Clay and pottery making go all the way back to my very first memories. As the son of ceramic artists Laurie and Dan Hennig, clay has been an integral part of my entire life. Although I did not take ceramics seriously until my college years, I found out that the techniques and process had passively entered my brain as a child giving me a solid foundation to work with once I started taking the art form seriously.
The pottery that my parents were producing early on was predominantly functional work such as mugs and jugs which they sold at the Renaissance Fair here in California. This was 1971 and the craft fair movement was just getting started. They built a studio called Camp Climax Pottery in Boulder Creek California where I grew up. I have fond memories of those early years hanging out in the studio and going to the fairs on the weekends.
As a college student at Humboldt State University in the early 1990’s, I studied under Keith Schneider and Louis Marak. I was quickly influenced by the narrative nature and rich underglaze surfaces that Keith and Lou were experimenting with at that time. Looking back now, I see that those early years had a lasting effect on my style and the content of my current work.
After college was done in 1994, I immediately put together a ramshackle studio with my future wife, Jennifer, which we called Live Clay Pottery. We began collaborating on a body of work as well as developing as individual artists. I was also working as an apprentice for my parents on the side to pay the bills. By this point, Laurie and Dan’s work had evolved into a sculptural realm where animals became the dominant theme. They taught us the family techniques of sculpting onto thrown forms and furthered our knowledge in the ceramic process. Jennifer and I began selling our wares on the festival circuit and honing our voice in the clay. The four of us also began to do gallery shows and art festivals together as Hennig Studios.
In 1998 my mother Laurie was accepted into the ACGA as a festival eligible member. A couple years before, all four of us had participated in an international ceramics festival in southern Holland and were inspired to see how strong the clay community was in Europe. Upon visiting the Clay and Glass Festival in Palo Alto, I came to realize that the ACGA offered that same community we met in Europe of ceramic and glass artists as well as a place to build connections to the clay community on an international level.
In 2003 I was given the opportunity to teach ceramics at Santa Cruz High School. This position offered some stability and benefits for the family while still keeping the focus on clay. I continued thinking about joining the ACGA and how it could provide professional opportunities and connections to the clay community. I saw this as a benefit for that student that was interested in a career with the clay and glass arts.
I finally applied for the jury process in 2012 when I felt that the body of work I had created would pass the bar for acceptance into the association. I was accepted into the ACGA as a festival eligible member that year and have been participating in the Clay and Glass Festival almost every year since. The connections and friendships that I have created from the experience have been extremely valuable in my professional career as an artist and educator. I encourage anyone I meet with an interest in clay or glass to become a member of this valuable organization.
In January of 2023 I joined the board of directors after having served on a number of jury committees in the years prior. It has been an honor to participate on the board with so many talented and hard working clay and glass artists.The knowledge gained from them has been of huge value in my career. I currently help out on the Exhibition committee and want to thank Jan Schachter for helping me understand this complex process. It’s very encouraging to know the board of directors are so unified in the promotion of these ancient art forms.
I have had the privilege to experiment with so many aspects of the ceramics process. Whether it’s sculpting animals on thrown forms, creating large conceptual pieces or just making some functional pottery for the salt kiln we have at the high school, each experience has broadened my understanding of this medium. It seems like every door I open leads me to another room with dozens of additional doors. Although my entire life has been surrounded by the ceramic arts, I still feel like a babe in the woods at times. There is just so much to learn that it would probably take many lifetimes to master all aspects.
Currently, I am teaching full time and creating as much ceramic work as possible. Outside the Live Clay collaborative pieces and functional pottery, I am also working on a series of sculptures that incorporate mechanical and animal hybrid elements. I have always had a deep fascination with nature and all the strange creatures that have existed on earth throughout history. Prehistoric animals hold a special place in my imagination. But on the flip side of the coin, I am a product of the science fiction generation that blossomed over the last hundred plus years. From steampunk to the concept of “the used future”, these influences have fascinated me since childhood. Throw into that mix my love of the Funk art movement with its humor and political satire and you get an idea of what motivates me creatively. I believe artists are like valves from which ideas flow. We process what we experience and regurgitate it. Current events, social issues, the environment, history, art, love, sex, tenderness, color, texture, form, mood and everything we know and witness in life is chewed up and spit out in the form of art. At times I have no clue where the meaning lies. Other times the ideas have deep personal value.
