Luke Kelly
I currently work out of a community studio in Yonkers, NY. I mainly focus on commissions due to the lack of space in my NYC apartment and limited studio space, but I will have some pieces for sale here on my website. Private lessons available upon request (social distancing required). Please reach out with any questions! lukekellypottery@gmail.com
My Journey with Clay.
It all started at Holderness, a small boarding school in Plymouth, NH. I fell in love with the process of throwing on the wheel. Since then, and thousands of hours in the studio later, I completed my Bachelors Degree from Boston College with a minor in Studio Art & also earned a Masters of Art in Teaching from Massachusetts College of Art and Design.
Holderness School
Holderness School was my home for one year after high school. My decision to do a post grad year before college was mainly due to the fact that I hadn't hit puberty. I wanted to physically grow and give myself a better shot at playing soccer collegiately. The small boarding school nestled in the woods of central New Hampshire provided me with something much more than that; the opportunity to study under a master ceramicist.
John Swift, class of 62', returned to Holderness as a teacher where he and his wife reestablished the ceramics program. With his knowledge and expertise, I learned a great deal about clay in a small amount of time. Working on the potters wheel can be extremely challenging for a beginner. It all came down to practice and repetition. We would throw cylinders for months. Cutting them in half every time and looking at the wall thickness, and then repeat.
Pictured here is a small vase that I was extremely proud of at the time. Finally got to keep one!
Boston College
I studied under Professor Mark Cooper for four years at Boston College. During this time I really began to explore the possibilities that clay had to offer me as a young potter. I tried to push myself to try new techniques and soak up as much as I could from my new professor.
One thing in particular I was amazed by was the Japanese process of Raku firings. Your heart starts to race a little when you are wearing a bunch of heat protective gear and go to remove the lid of red hot kiln you have been watching reach temperature after several hours.
Helping my peers in the studio was an eye opening experience for me as it planted the seed in my head that I could teach pottery one day.
MassArt
I continued my studies at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston where I received my Masters of Arts in Teaching. Although I was focused on pottery, my time in the studio came second to going out in the community and learning more about becoming a teacher. Volunteering my time in local classrooms and gaining experience on the front lines of the education system was an important step in my development as an art educator.