Artist Spotlight: Anika Major

About Anika

"I grew up in Texas and I started working with clay on a whim in college because I needed another elective. I became completely obsessed with trying to blend my passions of drawing, painting, and clay. I moved to Seattle, WA after graduating in 2018, to pursue a studio apprenticeship and a career in ceramics. Now it’s my entire life.​I’m the studio manager at Rain City Clay, and I’ve had a private personal studio for the last 3 years, and am SO excited to be transitioning to a home studio in early 2027."

Visit Anika's Website!

Q: What inspires your work or keeps you excited in the studio? 

A: "I have always been enamored with Western Cowboy culture; the pageantry and flamboyance always made me feel safe and seen as a queer child. I love sharing that narrative in my work and in the characters I create. I often feel inspired to try new forms and processes because of my students. Their curiosity feeds my curiosity, and I love the challenge of a new form or fine tuning a shape."

Q: What is your favorite AMACO product and why?

​A: "Velvet underglazes and the black underglaze pencil, hands down! I love them so much I had to commemorate my love forever with tattoos! ✨The pencil adds so much fun textural details to my work, and all the velvets are super pigmented and easy to layer. I love that they stay vibrant on both my white and brown clay bodies, and in the soda kiln! The INK's are quickly becoming a new fave though, they’re so easy to use and the color variety is great."

Q: Any advice you'd give to someone just starting out with clay? 

A: "Get the basics down, for real. When I was starting out, I was under a lot of pressure to make strong conceptual work while double majoring in drawing and painting. I spent so much time trying to translate the skills I already had instead of learning about clay as a material, and I really struggled."

Where can people find your work?

I have work available through Companion Gallery and In Tandem Gallery. I’ll also have a few pieces at Niche Gallery from October 7th-25th, and all kinds of goodies at the Rain City Clay Holiday Show from December 3rd-6th.