Alex Olson Arts LLC

Alex Olson Arts LLC I am a ceramicist, woodworker, freelance photographer, and visual artist working in Brooklyn, NY Growing up, I spent summers on Stuart Island, WA.

Artist Statement: My artwork is driven by my curiosity about the rhythms of the natural world and the intersections of landscape and the home. Motion in the landscape—weather, light, shadow, fauna—feeds my desire to create and inspires the organic shapes in my art. I am drawn to clay’s malleability and craft functional forms that people can integrate into their daily routines and rituals. Each po

t is first thrown on the wheel, faceted, and textured using found objects such as shells and stones. The wooden vessels I craft are designed to highlight the unique features of a given piece of wood: knots, figure, and natural edge characteristics. I use photography, filmmaking, and illustration to document experiences, tell stories, and illuminate the beauty natural landscapes. Bio:

I was born in Seattle, WA and raised by a family of artists—my mother a painter and my father a photographer. Exploring this remote wilderness was formative; it made me attentive to and appreciative of the rhythms of the natural landscape. Woodturning and photography were my primary mediums prior to studying ceramics at Carleton College, where I earned a B.A in Studio Art in 2018. Through an artistic career, I strive to cultivate an ever-curious studio practice, share my passion for craftsmanship, and inspire creativity in others.

Portraits of two faceted and textured bud vases, their smooth wet-sanded surfaces waiting to be painted by wood ash and ...
04/28/2024

Portraits of two faceted and textured bud vases, their smooth wet-sanded surfaces waiting to be painted by wood ash and flame in the anagama kiln. I love the interplay of light and shadow across these shapes, and the negative space creative by both the opening and exterior profile.

On Tuesday we’ll be unloading the wood kiln! It was a wonderful firing experience with all the wonderful folks from , and as always, and the oki doki studio team made it both incredibly joyous and informative. Can’t wait to see how all the pots turned out! My next online shop update will include many woodfired pieces 🔥

Sign up to my newsletter to be notified about and receive early-access to my next sale:

www.alexolsonarts.com

I threw each of these vases from 1.5 pounds of troy porcelain and carved them atop a banding wheel. Once bisque-fired and prior to being woodfired, I further smoothed the surfaces and edges using sanding pads/paper.

Thank you for all your support yesterday! I truly appreciate you taking the time to check out my newest collection of pi...
04/26/2024

Thank you for all your support yesterday! I truly appreciate you taking the time to check out my newest collection of pieces and am so grateful for your orders and kind words! If you were hoping to get a particular piece but missed out, make sure to sign up to my newsletter to hear about future sales. I’ll be making many more pots in the coming months, including glaze-fired pieces as well as wood and soda fired pieces ✨

Two shino-glazed bowls are still available: one fluted and one faceted. The fluted bowl that’s available has a dramatic halo of orange flashing on its unglazed foot, which contrasts nicely with the subtle gradiations of white/grey in the glaze.

www.alexolsonarts.com/shop

I threw this bowl from 1.5 pounds of 182 stoneware and carved it with a fluting tool. Once bisque-fired and before glazing, I smoothed and refined all the edges and surfaces using sanding pads/paper. I glaze-fired this bowl 🔥

Thanks to for creating such amazing lighting equipment that helps my photography process greatly!

My Spring Pottery Sale is live on my website! These are 12 of the fluted bowls included in sale, which I threw on the wh...
04/25/2024

My Spring Pottery Sale is live on my website! These are 12 of the fluted bowls included in sale, which I threw on the wheel, carved by hand, and then glaze-fired with celadon, “basil”, and shino glazes. Which is your favorite?

Spring Pottery Sale 🌸
www.alexolsonarts.com/shop

Thank you to all of my newsletter subscribers who checked out the sale during the early-access window. Your support is greatly appreciated! You are all amazing!! If you were hoping to get a particular piece but missed out, make sure to sign up to my newsletter to hear about future sales. I’ll be making many pots in the coming months, including more glaze-fired pieces as well as wood and soda fired pieces too 💛

I threw these bowls from 1.5 pounds of 182 stoneware and carved them with a fluting tool. Once bisque-fired and before glazing, I smoothed and refined all the edges and surfaces using sanding pads/paper 🔥

Thanks to for creating such amazing lighting equipment that helps my photography process greatly!

Online Shop Update is today! Three of these fluted celadon-glazed bowls will be included in the sale. I love the tiny bu...
04/25/2024

Online Shop Update is today! Three of these fluted celadon-glazed bowls will be included in the sale. I love the tiny bubbles and crazing patterns in this glaze and how it pools at the base of each flute. These images also highlight the orange flashing where the glaze meets on the unglazed foot. With these newest fluted bowls, I’m particularly happy with how I designed the feet: I trimmed them to have physical edges where the glaze could pool/settle on both the interior and exterior of the foot. What do you think of this style of foot? This celadon glaze?

Spring Pottery Sale 🌸
www.alexolsonarts.com/shop
April 25th at Noon, EST

A few key details:
* Newsletter subscribers will be able to access the sale using a passcode starting at 11am EST. The passcode will be emailed right before 11am EST.
* A piece added to your cart will be available to others until you finish checking out.

I threw these bowls from 1.5 pounds of 182 stoneware and carved them with a fluting tool. Once bisque-fired and before glazing, I smoothed and refined all the edges and surfaces using sanding pads/paper. I glazed these bowls 🔥

Details of a few shino-glazed faceted bowls full of glittery reflective iron speckles, intricate crazing, and gradients ...
04/24/2024

Details of a few shino-glazed faceted bowls full of glittery reflective iron speckles, intricate crazing, and gradients of grey carbon trapping. These bowls will be part of my online shop update tomorrow! A full preview of the shop update is available to view on my website ✨

Spring Pottery Sale 🌸
www.alexolsonarts.com/shop
April 25th at Noon, EST
11am EST — early access begins for newsletter subscribers.

This sale includes a variety of fluted and faceted pieces I glazed and reduction-fired . You can sign up to my newsletter for more information and to get early access to sale (link in bio) 🌿

I threw these bowls from 1.5 pounds of dark stoneware and carved them with a carving bow and fettling knife. Once bisque-fired and before glazing, I smoothed and refined all the edges and surfaces using sanding pads/paper. I glazed these bowls 🔥

A full preview of tomorrow’s shop update is available to view on my website!! These fluted bowls, coated in a luscious g...
04/24/2024

A full preview of tomorrow’s shop update is available to view on my website!! These fluted bowls, coated in a luscious green glaze, will be part of the sale. I love the feathery patterns where the glaze breaks over crisp edges, and the variety of warm and cool green tones this glaze creates depending on where a given piece is in the kiln. The colors remind me of ferns, fir needs, and moss covered rocks. A few of these images highlight iron speckles that occasionally peek through the glaze, and the orange halos of flashing that emerge on the unglazed feet.

What do you think of this green glaze and these fluted bowls? Which image is your favorite? ✨

Spring Pottery Sale 🌸
www.alexolsonarts.com/shop
April 25th at Noon, EST
11am EST — early access begins for newsletter subscribers.

This sale includes a variety of fluted and faceted pieces I glazed and reduction-fired . You can sign up to my newsletter for more information and to get early access to sale (link in bio). Also, please help spread the word by sharing this post with a friend or two, sharing it to your story, etc… thank you! 🌿

I threw these bowls from 1.5 pounds of 182 stoneware and carved them with a fluting tool. Once bisque-fired and before glazing, I smoothed and refined all the edges and surfaces using sanding pads/paper. I glazed these bowls 🔥

A celadon-glazed fluted bowl—3 celadon pieces will be included in next week’s online shop update! (details below) I love...
04/22/2024

A celadon-glazed fluted bowl—3 celadon pieces will be included in next week’s online shop update! (details below) I love the tiny bubbles and crazing patterns in this glaze and how it pools at the base of each flute. What do you think of this glaze and how it interacts with the form? ✨

Spring Pottery Sale 🌸
April 25th at Noon, EST
www.alexolsonarts.com/shop

*Early access will begin at 11am EST for newsletter subscribers.

This sale will include a variety of fluted and faceted pieces I glazed and reduction-fired . As always, you can sign up to my newsletter for more information and to get early access to sale (link in bio). Also, please help spread the word by sharing this post with a friend or two, sharing it to your story, etc… thank you! Please reach out if you have any questions 🌿

I threw this bowl from 1.5 pounds of 182 stoneware and carved it with a fluting tool. Once bisque-fired and before glazing, I smoothed and refined all the edges and surfaces using sanding pads/paper. I glazed this bowl 🔥

A fluted bowl with a luscious green glaze, one of the pieces that will be included in next week’s online shop update! (d...
04/20/2024

A fluted bowl with a luscious green glaze, one of the pieces that will be included in next week’s online shop update! (details below) I love the mix of warm and cool green tones on this bowl, the feathery patterns where the glaze “broke” over the crisp flutes, and the toasty halo of flashing where the glaze meets the unglazed foot. What do you think of this piece? ✨

Spring Pottery Sale 🌸
April 25th at Noon, EST
www.alexolsonarts.com/shop

*Early access will begin at 11am EST for newsletter subscribers.

This sale will include a variety of fluted and faceted pieces I glazed and reduction-fired . As always, you can sign up to my newsletter for more information and to get early access to sale (link in bio). Also, please help spread the word by sharing this post with a friend or two, sharing it to your story, etc… thank you! Please reach out if you have any questions 🌿

I threw this bowl from 1.5 pounds of 182 stoneware and carved it with a fluting tool. Once bisque-fired and before glazing, I smoothed and refined all the edges and surfaces using sanding pads/paper. I glazed this bowl 🔥

Fluted bowls and faceted pots seen while loading the anagama kiln. For this woodfiring, I loaded most of my pots uprigh...
04/17/2024

Fluted bowls and faceted pots seen while loading the anagama kiln. For this woodfiring, I loaded most of my pots upright on groups of 3 or 5 balls of wadding, with a few faceted bowls placed inside the wide fluted bowls. The serving bowl seen in the first three images was wadded inverted atop a post with the goal of achieving lots of flashing on the interior and an abundance of wood ash on the exterior.

Loading is always such a great creative challenge, carefully nestling all of the pots together, playing tetris, and anticipating the path of the flame and wood ash through the pottery. Today, we’ll finish loading the middle of the kiln and tonight we’ll begin “candling” the kiln to begin drying out all of the pots, wadding, and the kiln itself prior to bringing up the temperature 🔥

I am grateful to be part of this firing with a wonderful group of folks from , and am grateful to for leading this firing. Thank you for creating such a nurturing learning environment and for sharing your wealth of woodfiring knowledge. And a big thanks to and for all your hard work preparing wood and other materials for this firing, and for your assistance during the workshop.

Over the next couple weeks, I’ll be sharing more updates about this firing as well as my upcoming online sale! ✨

Spring Pottery Sale
April 25th at Noon, EST
www.alexolsonarts.com/shop

I made these pieces from troy porcelain and .pottery dark stoneware, and carved them using a carving bow, fettling knife, and drag tool. Once bisque-fired, I smoothed and refined all the surfaces and edges using sanding pads/paper.

A collection of faceted bowls and cups, their interiors glazed with a variety of shino and wood ash glazes and ready to ...
04/16/2024

A collection of faceted bowls and cups, their interiors glazed with a variety of shino and wood ash glazes and ready to be woodfired in the anagama kiln. Today and tomorrow we’ll carefully load over 1000 pots into the kiln before the 5-day firing! I am grateful to be part of this firing with a wonderful group of folks from , and am grateful to for leading this firing. Over the next couple weeks, I’ll be sharing more updates about this firing as well as my upcoming online sale! 🔥

Spring Pottery Sale 🌸
April 25th at Noon, EST
www.alexolsonarts.com/shop

Consider signing up to my newsletter for more details related to the sale and to receive 1-hour early access (link in bio).

I made these pieces from troy porcelain and .pottery dark stoneware, and faceted them using a carving bow and fettling knife. When the clay was still soft, I added shell and stone impressions. Once bisque-fired, I smoothed and refined all the surfaces and edges using sanding pads/paper.

Two faceted bowls, their luscious shino-glazed surfaces full of shimmery iron speckles, dark gradients of carbon trappin...
04/12/2024

Two faceted bowls, their luscious shino-glazed surfaces full of shimmery iron speckles, dark gradients of carbon trapping, and rust/burgundy streaks of color where the glaze “broke” over crisp edges and textures. What do you think of these bowls and shino glaze? ✨

Spring Pottery Sale 🌸
April 25th at Noon, EST
www.alexolsonarts.com/shop

*Early access will begin at 11am EST for newsletter subscribers.

This sale will include a variety of fluted and faceted pieces I glazed and reduction-fired . As always, you can sign up to my newsletter for more information and to get early access to sale (link in bio). Also, please help spread the word by sharing this post with a friend or two, saving this post, sharing it to your story, etc… thank you! Please reach out if you have any questions 🌿

I threw these bowls from 1.5 pounds of .pottery dark stoneware, and faceted/carved them using a carving bow and fettling knife. Once bisque-fired, I smoothed and refined the edges/surfaces with sanding pads/paper. I glazed and reduction-fired these bowls ! Each of these bowls measures about 3.75” in diameter.

A stack of shino-glazed faceted bowls, which will be included in my next online shop update! (see details below). I abso...
04/11/2024

A stack of shino-glazed faceted bowls, which will be included in my next online shop update! (see details below). I absolutely love the rich surfaces of these bowls, which are full of shimmery iron speckles, moody gradients of carbon trapping, and rust/burgundy streaks of color where the glaze “broke” over crisp edges and textures. I can’t wait to share more images of these pots soon, as well as the other pots that’ll be part of the online shop update! What do you think of these bowls? ✨

Spring Pottery Sale 🌸
April 25th at Noon, EST
www.alexolsonarts.com/shop

*Early access will begin at 11am EST for newsletter subscribers.

This sale will include a variety of fluted and faceted pieces I glazed and reduction-fired . As always, you can sign up to my newsletter for more information and to get one-hour early access to sale. Also, please help spread the word by sharing this post with a friend or two, saving this post, sharing it to your story, etc… thank you! Please reach out if you have any questions 🌿

I threw these bowls from 1.5 pounds of .pottery dark stoneware, and faceted/carved them using a carving bow and fettling knife. Once bisque-fired, I smoothed and refined the edges/surfaces with sanding pads/paper. I glazed and reduction-fired these bowls !

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673 5th Avenue
Brooklyn, NY
11215

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