Meet Local Artisan/Raven Roast Giveaway Potter Knitbone Ceramics
Meet Slocan Valley artist Seed from Knitbone Ceramics

Slocan potter Seed of Knitbone Ceramics in their natural habitat.
I’ve been an admirer of Seed’s pottery for almost as long as I’ve been in the Slocan Valley. I bought a matched set of cozy welcoming mugs as a wedding gift for a dear friend a few years ago and have been hooked ever since. My husband bought me one of their pieces (finally, my very own!) as a Christmas gift, and it is one of my favorite possessions. I do have to say, that my favorite thing to drink out of it is not tea, or even Raven Roast, but a stiff iced White Russian cocktail lol. I was thrilled to hear that Knitbone Ceramics wanted to join us in one of our Local Artisan/Raven Roast Giveaways. I asked Seed a few questions about their work and life and thought that we would share their eloquently written answers with you.

This one is mine. No White Russian today, just some iced Raven Roast 🙂
R.R. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background, as an artist or just as a human?
K.C. I’m a queer non binary settler living on Sinixt land in the Slocan Valley. I move through the world with a sense of curiosity that has allowed me to explore many interests including farming, cooking, herbalism, being a doula, and all kinds of art forms including fibre art, clay, painting, photography and writing. I love being in communion with other humans and the natural world and trying to embody as much generosity and care as possible with all that I undertake. I love to laugh!
R.R. How long have you been making pottery? What inspired you to start?
K.C. I’ve been curious about clay for as long as I can remember. As a child I attended a summer camp on this large clay filled river and we’d walk up and down the river collecting small amounts of clay and bringing it back to the art lodge to make coil pots. It always stayed with me, the connection I felt to the earth through the clay and the endless possibilities of making vessels that can hold food and water that then nourishes the vessels of our bodies.
I started working with clay in 2015 while going through a fairly hard time, and it brought me back to myself, the rhythms of my body and made me feel really happy and connected. I kept taking community classes in Victoria, BC until I decided that I wanted to pursue it full time and enrolled to go to the Kootenay School of the Arts in 2017. I graduated in 2018 in studio ceramics and have been making in my little studio in the Slocan Valley ever since.

Seed’s studio.
R.R. Where do you work? Anything special about your studio?
K.C. I currently have a small studio that I share with a friend in Winlaw, BC. My friend bought a small piece of land there and we turned an old garage that used to be a mechanic shop into our studio. We put in windows and plumbing, cleaned and painted the grimy walls, brought in our shelves, our wheels, our kiln and our clay and began to work. The studio is really special because it’s on a piece of land with a few of my dear friends and I love the communal and family feel of being around them everyday, of working and living together, even if it’s just saying “hey” as we come and go. Sometimes they invite me in for dinner, or we play a board game together in the evening after working in the studio all day.
R.R. What aspect of pottery gives you the most joy? Is there a certain type/style of piece you particularly like to make?
K.C. I love everything about clay. I love being in production mode and making 20 mugs in a day or playing and exploring and working on the details of a couple pieces over multiple days. I love being at my wheel, the rhythmic repetition of throwing pots, touching the clay, being centered, listening to podcasts or audio books. I love the finishing work of putting on handles, trimming the bottoms of bowls, carving patterns and designs into the leather hard clay. I even love making glazes, a task many potters bemoan. I love seeing the new colours come out of the kiln, how all the elements interact together to make beautiful pots that then bring folks joy and help nourish their bodies.

A few lovely places for flowers to exist between the bright flash of life and the compost bin.
R.R. What’s your favorite beverage to drink out of a well made ceramic mug? (you do NOT have to say Raven Roast lol)
K.C. I love coffee! I usually drink a cup most mornings and also relish the choosing of a mug from my mug wall. I have a very large mug collection of many different artists who I admire. I also love drinking herbal tea, especially nettle tea, in the evening.

These ones remind me of the beach at sunset.
R.R. Where can we find your work? Anything up and coming to look forward to?
K.C. I sell my work at the craft connection in nelson BC and Dog Patch pottery in Crawford Bay, BC. I also have an Instagram that is _knitbone_ceramics_ and you can find me on Etsy at knitbone ceramics
I’m starting a ceramics residency at the Shadbolt Centre in Vancouver in August and I am very much looking forward to delving into exploring cone 10 gas and soda firing for the fall!
Enter to win one of Knitbone Ceramics beautiful hand thrown mugs!

This is the mug for our Giveaway!
Thank you for sharing something of yourself with us Seed. To win one of Knitbone Ceramics beautiful mugs, enter our Local Artisan/Raven Roast Giveaway Visit us @RavenRoaster on Instagram or enter on our Raven Roast Facebook page by liking, sharing and commenting.