Ode to Monitors -- Sam Hostert

1. What is your name?

Samantha Hostert

2. When did you start coming to Lillstreet?

5 years ago, in the summer of 2008.  I started in Dave Trost's handbuilding class.

3. What brought/brings you to Lillstreet?

I had heard about it since moving to Chicago every time I mentioned wanting to take an art class.  People seemed to like it a lot.  The open studio time was a big draw once I researched it.  Now the open studio, classes, and community keep me here!

4. What is the nature of your clay work -- functional or sculptural?

Mostly functional.  I throw on the wheel and either alter pieces or decorate the surface with carving, slip inlay, glaze, and finally soda firing.

5. What is your process?  Do you sketch, prototype and conceptualize? etc.

I sketch a lot.  When I make something new I make a lot of copies of it until I get it right.

6. What or who influence your work?

The desire to make something comfortable, beautiful, and useful.  Architecture and graphic design, other artists - painters and ceramicists.  The monotony of my day job and desire to create originality within structure. 

7. Do you work with other medium besides clay?

I studied painting, and I teach photography, graphic design, and animation.  But my own work is currently all in clay.

8. What are your duties as a monitor?

I am part of the soda team - fire the soda kiln, make slips and other things related to the soda kiln.

9. If there’s one thing you absolutely have to inform the Lillstreet clay community that would make your work easier, what would it be?

If you are in the soda program, volunteer to load, fire, and unload!  It's fun to see the process, and also the best way to learn about what can otherwise seem like a random process.

(Editor: Ideally, you should participate in the loading, firing and unloading for the same firing -- this lets you see where you put the pieces, how you fire (amount of soda used) and how the pieces turn out -- it is a full cycle experience and very rewarding and your learning is exponential -- compared to loading, firing and unloading from different firings.  If you are not able to commit the time to do all three, then minimally, the loading and unloading of the same firing is also very educational.)