1. How did you get into pottery?
During my freshman year at Eckerd College I felt uprooted and overwhelmed. I took a ceramics course my second semester and immediately became obsessed. Clay work ticked all the boxes: physically engaging, artistically creative, loads of science and chemistry, roots dating back to the dawn of human-kind, and the immediate therapeutic quality of getting lost in the process of making form from formlessness.
2. Where do you find inspiration? I often say that I make pottery just so I have an excuse to dig and process my own clay. I find inspiration in the large cycles of geologic time and having a hands on relationship with natural systems that are much more grand and mysterious than the concerns of any one lifetime.
3. What natural materials do you find in your area to use? Most of the clay I use comes from the area around Mobile Bay. The geology of the northern gulf coast is rich in pure stoneware clays that have their origins in the Appalachian Mountains.
4. What inspires you about the history of pottery in Alabama? My great, great grandfather was a potter near Fairhope in the 1800’s, so that’s the most direct inspiration to historical pottery that I can point to. However, my family lineage opened the door to researching and understanding the history of clay work of all peoples in Alabama: the jug makers of the southern Appalachians, the French families that brought their unique kiln designs and techniques to the eastern shore of Mobile Bay, and the Native Americans - whose pottery making in Alabama goes back several millennia. They all inspire and inform my path in clay.
5. How do you hope the legacy of pottery continues? In the 21st century we can draw on so many traditions, techniques, and inspirations from around the world. I hope that my work with local materials and wood-firing will guide others to dig deep and find real roots through which to grow and expand their creative journeys.
6. What has been your favorite piece to make? The simple mug or cup. As a small, daily use object the mug gets into one’s life in an intimate and powerful way. It’s the first thing one reaches for in the morning, sits quietly with, touches their lips to, and it delivers sustenance to one’s body. No painting on the wall or sculpture on a pedestal gets that deeply into one’s intimate space.
7. How can people buy your products? Customers can visit me at my studio in Fairhope, Al by appointment, or give me a follow @zachsierkepottery on social media and reach out for my inventory.
8. What do you love about working in the South? I love the rooted sense of place and the friendliness of the people.