Paul Zoldahn is one of our hosts for the Lake Superior 20/20 Studio & Art Tour. Paul has many years of ceramic experience, and loves to share his knowledge and enthusiasm with artists and art admirers alike. We asked him to describe his work and what it is like to work from his studio tucked in the woods of the North Shore.
What do you like the most about living and working on the North Shore?
Working in clay, I realized the need to keep creative by slowing the pace- foot powered wheel for forming work- eliminate breakage in glazing and once firing dry clay work. The North Shore lends itself to a slower pace, living far enough from Lake Superior seems to temper the high and low lake effected temperatures at our studio. Most days studio work begins with a trail walk in the Red Pine woods at our pottery.
As an artist in the tour, what are you most excited about?
What excites me the most about sharing a host site on the 20/20 Studio & Art Tour is the returning and new customers that will visit our site. Also the addition of new artists and new energy added to the well established tour.
What is it that you enjoy about working in your medium?
I mix the clay used in my functional work. Clay really has a life of its own. At first the claybody seems a bit short and needs some finesse to ease that living pot out of the lump of clay. After 2 to 3 weeks of aging the clay becomes more workable and easier to move and create forms. Many clay work sessions are a series of forms sometimes very similar yet never identical, dictated by the consistency of the clay lump. An idea can be brought to life in clay through that series of work; usually it starts as a sketch on paper.
My pottery is carried by two galleries in Duluth Mn. -The Duluth Pottery in the west end arts district and Lizzards Gallery downtown and in Grand Marais Mn. at The Big Lake shop.
For more information about Paul’s studio stop on the tour, click the button below:
Friday and Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 10am-5pm 