Artist Bio
Anthony Carrillo is a ceramic artist from southern California, and he is currently apprenticing with Simon Levin in Illinois. While studying ceramics at San Diego Mesa College, he began piecing together a home studio and produced work to sell at local markets. A search for alternate means of learning led him to a workshop at Penland School of Craft, where he was put in contact with Simon Levin. Now one year into his apprenticeship, Anthony has assisted in two train kiln builds, helped design and build a small wood-soda kiln, practiced carpentry and welding, displayed work in Strictly Functional Pottery National, and participated in multiple wood kiln firings while developing a comprehensive body of work.
Artist Statement
I make playful pottery that is thoughtfully crafted and layered with great attention to surface, texture, and gestural form. My work encourages intimate tactile relationships between pot and user through softness of form and surface detail. Pots that lean, sway and reach upward create a lively energy that invites interaction. Undulating rims, plump handle connections, raised bottoms, and applied textures are my way of creating spaces for idle fingers to explore. The dramatic surfaces achieved in wood firing can both highlight and quiet my applied textures. These varying surface marks create opportunities for discovery while examining each side of a pot. My most successful pieces display my investment in craftsmanship and invite the user to join me in material exploration and discovery.
