Darrell Finnegan
551 Tremont Street, BCA Artist Studio #B-6
I am a potter and ceramics instructor specializing in wheel-thrown and hand-altered pottery. My studio is located in the Boston Center for the Arts where I am usually elbow deep in pottery and teaching. A major source of my inspiration comes from both American and British potters who have emerged from the Leach legacy. I also admire rural pottery traditions such as English country slip ware and the spontaneous surface gesture of Japanese Onda.
While combining both wheel thrown and hand-altering techniques, my attention is drawn to the object’s form and its utilitarian aspects, often referencing another place or time. I aim to create bold, functional forms with glazes that I formulate to show depth and surface variation. I studied at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, Massachusetts College of Art in Boston, and at the Harvard Ceramics Program.
I manage the MIT Ceramic Studio and teach classes there. Guiding students to value technique and to troubleshoot numerous aspects of the creative process is a joy. With a love of materials, tools and purity of form I believe the artist’s soul, touch and gesture is evident in every piece. I follow the tradition of ‘teacher and artist’ as I strive to create ceramics that invite use.
