Member Spotlight
Olivia Tarricone - OCTceramics
(she/her)
I'm Olivia, the artist behind OCTceramics. I love to make things and I live in Houston, TX with my husband and two small kids. I make small batches of functional ceramics with a modern, clean aesthetic and simple designs meant to delight and brighten any space
Olivia Tarricone
Please tell us a little about your ceramics journey.
Ceramics began as an after-work activity while working as an architect in 2015. I moved to Houston from Philadelphia in 2017 and no longer had a community studio, so I began making work at home and eventually carved out a studio in my garage. I began selling my work in 2020, and in 2022 I left architecture, renovated a historic building to include a studio space and jumped into ceramics as a job. Although I primarily create and fire my work at home, I do spend some time each week working at HTX Clay helping members and enjoying the company of other wonderful potters.
What sparks your creativity? What drives you to work with clay?
am the most interested in the processes and craft of working with clay and now there are just so many ways to create beautiful things in this medium. My creativity is currently driven by the intersection between my love of clay and my love of wildflowers
What clay body do you use?
Bmix with grog for throwing and hand building and Bmix slip
What is your primary forming method?
Wheel, however lately much more slip casting
What is your primary firing temperature?
Cone 5
What is your favorite surface treatment?
Glazing with a slip trailer on raw clay.
What are your favorite tools?
Soft rubber ribs
What advice would you share with someone just starting out in the field?
I would tell someone to hold on to the joy of simply making things.
Do you sell your artwork? If so, how/where do you market and sell your work?
I mostly sell at markets, however I am planning to do an online sale on my website very soon! All marketing via instagram.
What’s the best advice you’ve been given by a fellow maker, mentor, or teacher?
A teacher once told me: [paraphrasing] “You are not a machine. If your work starts to look like a machine could have made it, then why are you here at all?” And then they made me throw with the wheel spinning the opposite direction!
Whose work excites/inspires you right now?
I’m a big fan of Sarah Hussaini’s work (@notworkrelated_) and how she shares herself and her process.