Ally Rooney’s Reflections on Ceramic Art
by Eleni Krupinski
Ally Rooney ’21 (economics major with a minor in computer science) shares how she became passionate about ceramics, and reflects on the journey of developing her skills and pursuing her passion throughout high school and college.
“From what I’ve found you can try to plan a piece, but there is only so much you can plan. Sometimes the clay just has a different idea and you have to feel that as well” – Ally Rooney
How did you first discover your interest in ceramics? What were your initial impressions?
It’s kinda funny... the honest answer is that in high school we had to choose an art class to take that was either painting, drawing, or ceramics. And I wasn’t very artistic at all, but I remember my friend’s brother was in the year above me, and he told me I should take ceramics, so I did. That’s honestly how I started, and then my high school ceramics teacher got me more into it.
The class that I was in was made up of a mix of grade levels, so the older kids in my class were making all these really pretty pieces. I wanted to do that too, but in order to do that you had to use the wheel, which is a lot harder then other ceramic methods. But the biggest challenge, I thought, was learning that you can’t just rely on your arm strength.
You can’t force anything. You have to understand why the clay moves.
Where do you find your inspiration for the pieces you make?
I have my great grandmother’s plates in my dining room, and sometimes I like to look at those and notice their shapes and patterns. I like having inspiration going in, but usually the piece is not going to turn out exactly how you thought it would and if you try to force it too much, it can look bad. I’m a little bit of a perfectionist, but you have to let go a little bit so that it all flows better.
So, what does the process of making a ceramic piece look like for you?
My process starts with the wheel where I make most of my pots. I love the beginning because that’s the most unpredictable part— you just have a piece of clay, just sitting there, and you don’t know what it’s going to be yet. I try to have a plan of what I want to make but sometimes the clay has a different idea so I try to feel that as well. While I work I like to listen to music, sometimes pop and sometimes just piano instrumentals. Then I let the clay get leather hard and trim the bottom. I either make it really smooth or create a design on the piece.
Finally, I glaze the piece. I think about it for a couple of days. I never wash off a piece because I think (and it sounds a little cliche) that it happens for a reason, and that usually ends up making the piece look beautiful.
My favorite glaze is blue opal (I usually apply it with drips or spray) and I really like it with a white or black base. When you look at the blue opal on the pieces it kind of seems almost translucent in some parts, and there’s also a layer of the opal underneath that might be a different shade of blue. The way that this glaze comes out in the end I think is so pretty.
I’m a big believer in definitely keeping every piece. Even the little tiny broken ones because they could turn out beautiful even if you didn’t think they would.
I also like to test different ways of applying glazes and different glazes on the pieces I don’t like. You know the ‘squished’ pieces I made? I was trying to make a cylinder and it got squished, so I was going to throw it away. But then my high school teacher, told me to keep it and just test it (he said just for that one, probably not meaning for me to keep all the pieces but...) Anyway, it turned out to be one of my mom’s favorite pieces.
Is there a piece that stands out most to you from the ones you’ve made?
It’s hard to choose one, but probably this one big round piece I made that comes in at the top and then has the blue faded opal. I like how it turned out so round and perfect. I also like the raku ones that have a sort of rock pattern. (Raku generally refers to a type of low-firing process that was inspired by traditional Japanese raku firing.) I either like super perfect ones with a little bit of color, or I like the brush stroke raku ones. My teacher in high school was renowned for his raku work.
Are there other artists or mentors that inspire you to keep developing your work?
Yes, so first my high school teacher, Steve Branfman, because he helped me build my foundation and influenced my approach, as I mentioned earlier. He also just made ceramics really fun.
And then obviously my professor at Boston College, Professor Cooper, who helped me with the more detailed parts of developing my skills. One thing specifically that Professor Cooper helped me with was thinking about how to present the pieces. He taught me that presentation really does affect how people see your work. For example, at the end of the year you showcase all the pieces that you made, so what I always did was just lay out all the pieces. However, Professor Cooper was trying to explain that the arrangement of the work changes how the pieces look.
That’s partially why when we had to come up with our own idea for a project I wanted to do something with presentation. I decided to make a video. The purpose of “How We See” was to focus on the presentation of the pieces and show how everything from the background, the angles, the light and the music makes a difference in how the audience perceives your art. I also just wanted to do a wrap-up project, because this was my last ceramics semester. A final project with everything I’ve ever done. It sort of gives it a nice closure.
What are your goals moving forward with your art?
It’s a great creative outlet but I don’t think I’m going to have much time for it after college, so I definitely want to try to make time to do it and continue my passion along with my career.
Want to see more from Ally? Check out her website to find out more about her work.