Meet Renata Copeland | Ceramic Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Renata Copeland and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Renata, how do you think about risk?
I am a breast cancer servivor. I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer at age 33 in 2019. Going through chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, double mastectomy, multiple long surgeries, were the only options for me if I wanted to continue to stay alive. Treatment itself was a risk, but I wasn’t ready for the alternative.
While currently in remission, I do not take life for granted. Cancer has changed who I am as a mother, wife, friend, artist and creator. Risk is in every decision I make, big or small. Time is precious. One must be brave! Once you take the risk, you have to commit to that path and decide it is the best way to accomplish your goal and not be distracted by what might, or could have been.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My work consists of handmade, wheel thrown, sometimes handbuild, one of a kind ceramic pieces. Pottery has gained so much traction in the past several years. Many people experiment with it but find it difficult to maintain the practice as the initial investment in equipment and supplies can be high. It trully takes a commitment to the medium to continue to do it consistently. I believe that what sets my work apart, is the willingness I have to experiment with each piece. Having curiosity to explore the clay surface as a brand new opportunity to play and develop a new composition is an essential ingredient to keep the work interesting and exciting. It literally gives me life and joy to challenge different color combinations and see it transform in each piece.
In my beginning years of being a studio potter, I loved the consistency and mechanics of the process, but the more I learned and experimented with surface design, the more I found the work more meaningful and gratifying. I discovered that I could incorporate the beautiful variety of colorful, high fired pigments into liquid clay (slip) and use it almost as paint to compose each piece. Each layer is placed, one at a time, considering the next step, so one complements the other. It’s always a balancing task. Ultimately, the fire is the great editor of the work, where the clay and glazes mature to a vitrified state and the colors develop to their permanent, final result.
I started to do pottery when I first migrated to the US in 2009. My husband has been a huge support from day one! As a new couple, we moved to a little historical town
called Edgefield, SC, so we could start life together and I could learn pottery, and english for that matter. This is the town where the remarkable story of Dave, the potter slave took place in the mid 1800s. He is nationally recognized by his poetry written in his clay jars.
It was such a fascinating time in my life and I am so gratefulfor it. I had lots of time to dedicate to my classes, attend workshops and learn in general. In 2015, I became a mother, my husband graduated and got a new job and I had to abandoned studio life for a bit as we moved to Greenville, SC. In 2018, we had our second child. One year later, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to fight for my life. A very scary period of my life that marked me forever. Being immunocompromised during a world pandamic was extra challenging. In 2022, I decided it was time to pick up pottery again, in my home studio, in the quiet of the night, I found myself immersed in the creative spectrum again, and through that, figuring out, once again who I am as an artist. I’m so grateful for this medium that allows me to be imperfect. Clay can be incredibly forgiving, incredibly healing. That healing doesn’t come without pain though. I’ve had to adapt to the changes in my body, allow time for scar tissue to brake and my upper body muscles to be strong again so I could make fulfilling work again.
It trully takes commitment to make it happen! I homeschool both of my children and we are often found in the studio together where we do math and art simultaneously.
I want people to know that you can do hard things! Things you dream of! You can write your own story! It will come with sacrifices and challenges, but it will bring you experiences, knowledge, wisdom, grit and fulfillment. My hope is that when a client purchases my work, they’ll understand that those pieces changed my story, that I made it for someone to use it, to gift, to look at, to enjoy it!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I would definitely take them to Falls Park downtown for a lovely afternoon followed by a visit to the Bohemian Hotel lobby.
I think it depends on the friend visiting. We love to take friends hiking to Table Rock or lake keowee, wild cat waterfalls, just to name a few. If they prefer not to hike, I would take them to a few different art galleries like Spoonbill, Art&Light or the art museum. We enjoy Thai food from “The Thai restaurant on Augusta rd. We also enjoy The Pita House.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My shout out goes to my ceramic professors from Piedmont Technical College. Gary Clontz was the most dedicated, caring person to work with. During my initial training with him, he demonstrated a tremendous commitment to each student, through his patience and expertise, he inspired so many artists in the pottery community. He is an incredibly giving teacher.

Website: https://www.RenataCopeland.com

Instagram: @Nata.copeland

Image Credits
Nice Life photography