Meet Our Members: Sean Corey
Sean with one of his underglaze-decorated wheel thrown cups.
Sean is such a light in the studio — he’s always got something interesting he’s working on, and his smile is infectious. We’ve been ooing and ahing over Sean’s incredibly thin wheel-thrown work since he joined in March 2024, and he never stops evolving. First it was creative underglaze decoration, then sgraffito animal portraits, now tall carved vases…we can’t wait to see what he’s making. Here we asked him about his creative practice, and if he has any advice for new potters.
What's your name and age, and how long have you been working with clay? (feel free to leave out your age if you're more comfortable!)
I’m Sean Corey and I’m in my 40s and have been working with clay since I was 5 years old.
What got you started working with clay?
My mother had us take classes at the local Rec center as little kids. I believe we made little Christmas ornaments first. I also had an epic high school ceramics teacher who was a hip hop DJ earlier in life and he did a lot to help build up my self confidence and provide a safe and positive space in the school.
What are your favorite things to make? What projects are you currently working on?
I really enjoy making new forms and trying out new techniques, but I also like doing the same thing over and over and improving on it. I tend to blend utility with feelings. For instance, I made my sgraffito black mug series because I wanted some macchiato sized cups at home. At that time I had also been doing a lot of ink paintings of animal in 2D.
I enjoyed making spherical bowls because they feel so nice to hold in my hands.
I also enjoy making the exact same mug over and over again because even though I have made dozens of them I learn something new each time.
What made you decide to become a member at Friendly City Clay?
The community that Ros has built here is life giving. You can feel the heart in the studio and when I first came to the space and met some of the artists here I knew this was my kind of place.
What would you say to someone who's just starting out with clay?
If starting on the wheel then, try throwing really tiny things. Like salt dishes and espresso cups. You can experiment with pushing to clay to the max, with thinness, wetness, height, overwork etc and if it collapses the it’s no big deal because it was a small piece of clay. Also the centering is much easier in my opinion.
Is there anything else you'd like to share?
Don’t be shy to say hi, I love meeting new people and helping to build up this community!
