By Mario Montalvo/ne news editor
Lifelong potter Randy Brodnax was introduced to pottery 46 years ago by his college football coach, who required all players to take a pottery class.
“I went in the class and the entire offensive line was in there taking a clay class,” Brodnax said. “He was kind of ahead of his time. He understood about the dextral control. He understood that it would bulk us up in our shoulders and our arms, and we went all season long and never had any injuries.”
The artist hosted a pottery workshop Jan. 20-21 on NE Campus to share techniques and tricks with aspiring and experienced potters.
Brodnax uses chemicals and solvents as well as techniques like post-fire reduction and ferric chloride fuming to add texture and color to his pieces.
His style is his own, but he is greatly inspired by his surroundings, Brodnax said. He lives on 280 acres in south Dallas with swamps and lakes. Not a day goes by when he isn’t pulling inspiration from his surroundings, he said.
Brodnax has worked as an art therapist and said he understands that artwork can communicate emotion. It is through his art that he connects with the people in his pottery classes.
NE and SE student Macie Crouch is a former nursing student now majoring in fine art. Her grandmother first exposed her to pottery when she was little. Crouch signed up for the workshop in hopes of learning new techniques.
“He [Brodnax] explains stuff really well, especially for the new potters,” she said. “Especially throwing on the wheel because that’s what I’m starting to do.”
Brodnax teaches 20 classes a year all over the U.S. and Canada. His next workshops will be in Alabama, Las Vegas and Clifton, Texas.
He has created an incredible lifestyle for himself and he loves what he does, he said.
NE paralegal student Lauren Tomsey began working with clay in high school and is now in her second semester of pottery at NE. Having never taken a workshop before, she said it was refreshing.
“I learned a lot from the wheel throwing,” she said. “He definitely gave me a lot to use.”
