Mercedes Rodgers
Episode 50 of the The Art of Being a Mum podcast, hosted by Alison Newman, titled "Mercedes Rodgers" was published on June 23, 2022 and runs 84 minutes.
June 23, 2022 ·84m · The Art of Being a Mum
Episode Description
Welcome to Episode 50. My guest this week is Mercedes Rodgers, a clay maker and potter from Fort Walton Beach in Florida, USA. Mercedes is a mum of 3 sons .
Mercedes studied a Degree in Art History and thought she would go into photography, but she was always drawn to clay, She was fascinated and influenced by a neighbour who was making tiles for her kitchen out of clay from the earth.
When she finished her degree she moved up to New York with her husband, Mercedes worked in art centre that had an amazing pottery studio where she was able to really delved in deep. She learned the craft in the traditional way of learning from others in an apprenticeship kind of way.
In additional to her pottery, Mercedes also enjoys painting, photography, knitting, dying fibres and has taught pottery for many years, as well as owning a gallery, She feels deeply connected to the earth, turning to traditional methods to make charcoal from grape vines and ink from acorns and her kiln is powered by solar energy. She loves to try new things and be playful within her work. She loves how pottery has forced her to slow down and be patient, you can't rush the kiln or disaster ensues.
**Please be aware this episode contains discussions around stillbirth + infant loss, PTSD, anxiety attacks + grief**
Today we chat about how art and journaling helped Mercedes through the loss of her 1st son Conrad, appreciating the connection between the artist and the art they create through practical, functional objects and good old mum guilt gets a big mention.
Take a look at Mercedes' marionettes
Music used with permission from Alemjo, Australian new age and ambient music trio.
When chatting to my guests I greatly appreciate their openness and honestly in sharing their stories. If at any stage their information is found to be incorrect, the podcast bears no responsibility for guests' inaccuracies.