“to bring together in one group or collection; to pick or harvest; to increase, gradually, a force, feeling or energy; to serve as the center of attention – attract.

Home is where memories are created, not collected. Around the table or by the fireplace, you gather your nearest and dearest and craft a story of fond friendships and familial bonds. Clay, a simple combination of earth and water, when fired, can be molded into a home’s showpiece or family heirloom. An elegant bud vase graces a table with sentimental charm. A serving bowl displays beauty and function. A decorative platter can be the centerpiece of laughter and celebration. A beautiful object can be an essential part of your personal history; the design of which should be enduring and the craft, authentic. A Gathering of loved ones not only sustains, but nourishes the life and story of your home and those who live in it.

It’s Your Design.  Your Story.

Red Clay challenges you use CLAY to embody the affection and energy that warms your home amidst a GATHERING of family and friends.

There is simply beauty in the perfecting the form. Inspiration can be found in a turning leaf, a ripple of water or a jagged rock ledge. We’ve purposefully limited design parameters, such as size and color, so that you can concentrate your creative powers on the beauty and complexity of the form.

Please use one of these forms to shape your design:

VASE – up to 12″

BOWL – up to 9″ in diameter

PLATE – up to 14″ in diameter

Here lies a palette of low fire glazes in which to dip your design

Please limit yourself to one color for per design entry.

We’ve purposefully limited design parameters, such as size and color, so that you can concentrate your creative powers on the beauty and complexity of the form. There’s a elegance in the profile and lines of a gracefully shaped vase; an ingenuity in a bowl that serves function and aesthetic. This sweet spot is where you’ll find a wealth of inspiration.

In addition to the low fire glazes from our color palette, you have a choice of various finishes: matte, satin, and gloss. Play with the element of texture and reflection to add tone on tone depth to your design. Do your best to delineate between finishes on your sketch to clearly communicate

the subtleties of your design. Please see our materials guide for further detail on available techniques.

While it’s true ceramic pieces are often gathered in groupings of 3 or more for a beautifully curated vignette, please limit your designs to one piece per submission; this one piece should be able to stand on its own. You may suggest various sizes in each entry and you’re encouraged to submit multiple entries with differing distinct forms.

We certainly don’t want to bridle your creative horsepower, but keep in mind you audience. Would you really place a mustache-shaped bowl in the middle of your dining table? Could you see your mother putting fresh cut flowers in a boot shaped vase?

At Red Clay, we rely on the stylish wisdom of the crowd – Red Clay fans, friends, designers and customers – to vote for what they believe are the
best designs.

1st place VASE: $500

1st place BOWL: $500

1st place PLATE: $500

In addition to monetary reward, Red Clay winners will receive national
exposure via blogs, Red Clay
ads, newsletters, and online design
publications.

Guest Curators’ Choice Awarded by Berkeley Art Studio

Art Studio Directors, Eric Scollon and Robby Abrams, will present a Curator’s Choice Award to their favorite Clay design from all form categories in addition to the three category winners.  As a special honor, the Curator’s Choice Award will be hand thrown and glazed by the Berkeley Art Studio to be sold as such for Red Clay’s exclusive collection.