OUr 2026 Theme: Clay Colorama!
"Clay Colorama!" - Celebrating the use of color and transformative power of clay to create vivid, dynamic, and visually expressive ceramics! Whether you’re a college student, a professional, or a passionate pottery enthusiast, this is your chance to deepen your skills and expand your vision. Join us as we explore Clay Colorama with an inspiring lineup of artists who will share their techniques, insights, and creativity. Don’t miss it!
This year’s conference will follow the format of past gatherings, featuring two full days of demonstrating artists alongside multiple speakers. Three demonstrators will work side by side, engaging with the audience, answering questions, and exchanging ideas with one another. Interspersed throughout the program, additional speakers will share their techniques and insights, all tied to the conference theme.
Demonstrating Artists
Laura caroline casas (youngsville, NC)
Laura Caroline Casas is a Mexican-American potter, illustrator and crafts educator. She grew up in Columbia, NC and received her BFA in Studio Art from Western Carolina University.
As a culturally mixed individual, it is important for Laura to make work that unifies her multiple upbringings. Laura’s pottery is handbuilt from red clay; pinched, coiled and decorated with an array of colored slips and underglazes. Through color, narrative and technique - she is able to define her own identity as a contemporary Mexican-American woman.
In addition to teaching, Laura operates her creative practice, Casas Studios, from her home-studio in Youngsville, NC. She is Clay Studio Coordinator for The Wake Forest Renaissance Center.
Website: Laura Caroline Casas
Social Media: Instagram (@casas.studios), Tiktok (@casas.studios)
Carol Long (St. John, Kansas)
Carol Long is a Kansas-born ceramic artist whose work is inspired by plant and animal life. She studied ceramics at Barton County Community College under Glenda Taylor, Linda Ganstrom, and Steve Dudek, building on her early interest sparked by high school teacher Sheldon Ganstrom.
Her pottery is characterized by joy, whimsy, and beauty, qualities she continues to explore through evolving forms and surfaces. Influenced by both historical ceramics and contemporary makers, Carol creates pieces that celebrate the natural world around her.
Her work is represented by Plinth Gallery in Denver, CO, Charlie Cummings Gallery in Gainesville, FL, Karg Art Glass in Kechi, KS, and The Filley Art Museum in Pratt, KS. She also presents workshops across the United States.
Website: Carol Long Pottery
Social Media: Facebook, Instagram (@carollongpottery)
scott jones (Grimesland, NC)
Scott Jones is from Northwest Ohio. He received his BFA from Bowling Green State University and an MFA in Studio Arts from Wichita State University, with an emphasis on ceramics and printmaking.
Scott has completed residencies at the North Carolina Pottery Center and Starworks. Most recently, Scott launched his own business developing hydrographic ceramic glazes.
Scott Jones’s work is a response to the malleable nature of clay. Through it, he creates a space for introspection that questions his relationship to conformity. From crumpled slabs to carefully joined vessels, he engages the material in a way that values its unpredictability and its structural logic. The expressive presence of his forms invites reflection, offering valuable insight into individuality, irregularity, and the dynamics of presence and awareness.
Website: Scott Jones Art
Social Media: Instagram (@sj_ceramics)
Speakers
dean mcraine (Kapaa, HI)
Dean McRaine, the self-taught artist behind LightWave Pottery in Kapaa, Hawaii, draws inspiration from the island’s tropical beauty to create vibrant and uplifting ceramic art. With 35 years of experience, he specializes in vivid colors and intricate patterns achieved through innovative colored clay techniques.
His signature technique fuses ceramic stains into white porcelain, creating a full spectrum of colored clays. He stacks, blends, extrudes, and slices the clay to reveal psychedelic designs within the body—not just on the surface.
For the past 15 years, Dean’s major interest has been the vivid colors and rich patterns that can be made with colored clay. His goal as an artist is is to create work that is beautiful and uplifting and brings joy to those who see it.
Website: Lightwave Pottery
Social Media: Facebook, Instagram (@lightwavepottery)
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