Brian Westrick: A Glimpse of the Artist Behind the Work

Sep 24

As Troy Bungart Studios hosts a Michiana Pottery Tour stop for the first time, we wanted to introduce everyone to the guest artists visiting us at the 2025 Michiana Pottery Tour September 27 & 28, 2025 here in Three Rivers, Michigan.

*Ceramic artist Brian Westrick talks with Troy Bungart Studios about his work in advance of the 2025 Michiana Pottery Tour*

Brian Westrick is, in some ways, typical of the many regional ceramists who have gotten a vigorous education here and elsewhere before deciding to return “home” to build their own studio pottery. Brian has been working with clay for 20 years. He earned a BFA in Ceramics from Grand Valley State University and a MFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. His work has been collected internationally and is featured in numerous private collections throughout the United States.

Brian also spends a considerable amount of his time employed making furniture.

He says he connects at shows with collectors who seem to enjoy a slower and more considered pace of life, who are insightful and introverted, and who appreciate pots with a reserved and quiet nature.

Brian feels his work belongs in collections of people who appreciate Mingei, folk, rustic and Craftsman design styles. Brian’s choice of categories highlights his education. While buyers in our region may be familiar with the terms folk, rustic and Craftsman, “Mingei” is an Asian term that collectors in our area may wish to familiarize themselves with. In short, Mingei, as Google’s AI defines it in its simplest form, “celebrates the beauty of "ordinary people's art"—everyday objects made by humble, anonymous craftsmen for daily use.” Mingei focuses on “honest functionality,” “affordability,’ the “connection between the maker and the user,” “ethical consumption” and the “‘Beauty of Use.’” It also recognizes traditional methods.

One way that Brian keeps to traditional methods is by throwing on a non-electric, motorless treadle wheel that he bought from Troy Bungart a few years ago. To operate a treadle wheel, the potter needs to kick a swingarm to make the flywheel spin so it turns the wheel head. It’s a process that was popularized in American ceramics by Warren MacKenzie during his time at the Leach Pottery. Brian feels that the treadle wheel imbues his making process with a wonderful rhythm that keeps him engaged because it takes full body coordination to operate the wheel while forming the clay.

*Brian Westrick throws a clay vessel using a non-motorized treadle wheel.*

*Detail of surface texture and layered glaze effects by Brian Westrick*

Brian says he carefully considers and immerses himself in every detail of his work. He chose to work with clay due to its responsiveness and ability to register touch. Brian formulates and mixes his own clay and glaze recipes and makes many of his own tools which impart subtle surface textures. One detail he likes about his work is the way his glazes respond over his surfaces after he has poured or dripped them to build up layers.

Brian uses a chop mark to sign his vessels with a stylized design of his initials BW. The lidded jar may be his favorite vessel form. He says that, to him, “jars symbolize prosperity, bounty, sustenance, and a promised return.’ If he could put one of his ceramic pieces onto display where multitudes could see and appreciate it, he would set a storage jar holding coffee beans onto a polished concrete countertop, ideally on an episode of ‘Grand Designs,’ the UK architecture documentary series.

Brian’s presence at our stop on this year's Michiana Pottery Tour demonstrates that an exceptional education benefits even relatively rural areas when degree holders choose to return to their roots and undertake work to which they are suited. If you are a buyer who is looking for work that is atmospheric, considered and quiet, stop in and support ceramic artist Brian Westrick.