Exploring Creativity - Episode 20 - Hayne Bayless

Host Rich Pfeifer interviews Ivoryton, Connecticut potter Hayne Bayless about his path into pottery and his process. Bayless describes discovering an unused wheel and kiln in a Seattle high school, teaching himself through trial and error with help from Bernard Leach’s book, taking lessons in Tokyo at 18, then drifting away during college before returning through New Haven’s Creative Arts Workshop while working as a journalist. He explains clay types from low-fire terracotta to high-fire stoneware, why he buys consistent clay in bulk, and why he prefers hand-building with slabs and an extruder over wheel throwing. He outlines two-stage firing (bisque then hotter glaze firing), kiln capacity, long firing/cooling times, the chemistry of glazing and how the kiln create unpredictable results. He emphasizes listening to the material, avoiding overworking, redefining success as enjoyment, and advising beginners to make lots of work.