Meet Courtney Segrest | Ceramic Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Courtney Segrest and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Courtney, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
The most important factor behind my success would probably be persistence. When I first started in ceramics I majorly struggled to get a single piece to turn out well. It was an awkward and challenging medium that just wasn’t clicking for me. I was determined to become better, and practiced my skill for hours everyday until I started to improve. Somewhere along the way I started to enjoy the hard work it took to create ceramic pieces. I still include this stubborn attitude in my everyday making. Once I get an idea for a piece I don’t give up on it, even if it fails 50 times before I finally get it right.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
When I first started getting into ceramics I remember thinking about how overwhelming it all was. There were so many different processes and possibilities that I knew if I dedicated myself to this medium I would always have something to learn. For the past few years I’ve been working under the mentality that I want to fail as fast and as much as I can because it would be a sure sign that I’m trying new techniques and pushing myself. I became increasingly interested in making clay do things that it doesn’t really want to do. For example, encasing ceramic cups with a veil of linked rings that mimic chainmail patterns or having intricate coils suspended in the shape of a vase. I loved how something that is usually considered hard and unyielding took on characteristics such as flexible and malleable. Along the way I’ve learned its crucial to understand the material you are working with, and find ways to enhance its best attributes. For the longest time I was struggling with my pieces cracking and breaking before I even got them into a kiln because the clay body I was using was too fragile. Altering my clay body recipe to be stronger and more plastic allowed me to start making more intricate vessels that had a higher survival rate. I’m always looking for ways to work smarter and not harder within my work. I change my processes all the time once I find an easier way to get the results I want. This flexibility allows me to continuously make my pieces more intricate.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I absolutely love reading and coffee. I’ve recently discovered a place called Patchouli Joe’s on the square in denton. It’s a cute little book shop that has a wide variety of genres and book related things inside. Jupiter house is pretty close by too, so I can get my two favorite things right next to each other. I also enjoy a shop called sleeping lizard. They have a lot of knick knack and hidden gems inside of jewelry, gemstones, trinkets. You can spend forever just browsing around looking at everything.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’m really thankful for the clay community I found at the University of Oklahoma. Jamie Bates Slone, Doug Casebeer, David Stevens, and Stuart Asprey really showed me how fun being a part of clay could be. It made me change my major, and decide to pursue ceramics long term. I’m at the University of North Texas now, and could not imagine being anywhere else. Valerie Banes Hancock, Brooks Oliver, and Eliza Au have really made the program into something special that I’m so happy to be a part of.

Website: www.courtneysegrest.com

Instagram: @courtnise