Short answer: You can call a ceramic artist a ceramist or ceramic artist. If they primarily make functional wares (like bowls and mugs) on a wheel, they’re often called a potter. If the work is sculptural, ceramic sculptor fits. All potters are ceramic artists, but not all ceramic artists are potters.
Definition Of A Ceramic Artist
A ceramic artist (ceramist) is someone who designs and creates objects from clay and other ceramic materials, then permanently transforms them by firing. That can include functional work like dinnerware, expressive sculpture, or anything in between.
What Do You Call A Person Working With Ceramics?
- Ceramist / Ceramic Artist – umbrella term for anyone creating fired clay artwork or objects.
- Potter – a ceramist who focuses on functional wares, often wheel-thrown.
- Studio Potter – runs a small studio, producing limited runs or one-off pieces with a signature style.
- Production Potter – specializes in making large quantities of consistent forms (plates, bowls, sets).
- Ceramic Sculptor – focuses on sculptural, nonfunctional clay work.
- Clay Artist – may work in clay with or without firing (for example, air-dry or polymer clays).
- Ceramic Engineer – works on the science and engineering of ceramic materials, glazes, kilns, and processes.
Quick Comparison
| Title | Main Focus | Typical Output |
|---|---|---|
| Ceramist / Ceramic Artist | Any fired clay art | Functional or sculptural |
| Potter | Functional ware | Cups, bowls, plates, jars |
| Studio Potter | Small-batch, signature work | Limited runs, one-offs |
| Production Potter | High volume consistency | Sets and multiples |
| Ceramic Sculptor | Sculptural expression | Figurative/abstract sculpture |
| Clay Artist | Clay, sometimes unfired | Crafts, models, mixed media |
| Ceramic Engineer | Materials & processes | Formulations, testing, R&D |
Image: Ceramic Artist At Work
Ceramic Art Or Ceramic Science?
It’s both. Clay bodies and glazes transform through heat and chemistry, which is why terms like oxidation, reduction, vitrification, and silica-alumina ratios matter. The craft thrives where art and materials science meet.
Is A Gardener Also A Potter?
Informally, some folks might call anyone “working with pots” a potter, but in ceramics we reserve potter for people who actually make pottery. Someone who grows plants in pots is better called a gardener or horticulturist.
Mini Glossary (Fast Answers)
Potter’s Wheel
A rotating wheel used to shape round ceramic forms. Also used for trimming and adding rings or incised lines after partial drying.
Handbuilding
Making forms with your hands (slabs, coils, pinching) rather than on a wheel. It’s the original way humans worked clay.
Bisque (Biscuit) Firing
The first firing that hardens clay into porous ceramic, ready to accept glaze. Bisque ware is durable enough to handle, but still absorbent.
Kiln Atmosphere
The oxygen level inside a kiln during firing. Electric kilns are typically neutral to slightly oxidizing. Fuel kilns can be adjusted toward oxidation or reduction to change glaze color and clay body effects.
Delftware
Dutch tin-glazed earthenware famous for blue-and-white decoration, historically centered in Delft. It’s a type of faience with an opaque white glaze.
Metal Oxides
Colorants in glazes and clay bodies (for example, copper for greens/reds, cobalt for blues, iron for browns/tenmoku). Some require specific kiln atmospheres to develop target colors.
A (Very) Short History Snapshot
Across centuries and cultures ,from the Islamic world’s brilliant tiles to Japanese tea bowls and European porcelain ,ceramics evolved through material discoveries and kiln innovations. Modern studio pottery blends those traditions with contemporary design and personal expression.
Ceramic Artist Summary
Ceramists shape, dry, fire, and often glaze clay to create lasting objects. Call them ceramic artists when speaking broadly; use potter for functional work, and ceramic sculptor for nonfunctional sculpture. Different titles simply highlight different focuses within the same clay-centered craft.
“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”
Edgar Degas