Rita Yamin

Rita Yamin never considered herself creative. Then she joined Lincoln Square Pottery Studio – Learning Center.

The 2007 psychology graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University always had a “thing” for ceramic arts, but she didn’t get a chance to try it herself until she joined the studio in 2010. After settling into Thursday nights, Yamin focused her attention on wheel throwing. Meg, the studio’s instructor, patiently took her through mugs and small bowls, sparking a need to better each piece. The aspiring artist then honed in on pulling handles, one of the most difficult steps to creating consistently shaped appendages for mugs and cups. Like the handles (of which she created close to one hundred), each new challenge was met with the same determination; try, try and try again. The pinnacle of her attentions centered on teapots, and the chase to create the “perfect” one. Nearly a decade later, Yamin is not only excellent at creating them, but her pieces are easily identified as hers alone. Her choice of deeply colored glazes and clay bodies makes the work stand out in the crowd. She also has the ability to create vessels that look substantial but feel light, due to her dedication to trimming within an inch the piece’s life! She’s proud of the fact that she can get a much larger bowl out of the same amount of clay that she started with years ago.

Yamin clearly loves the process of creating work, so naturally pieces have accumulated over the years. To help lighten the load, she’s helped stock her parents’ mug collection along with gifting items to family and friends. She and her partner Brian enjoy the best bowls and platters at home, and happily use them for every day life. Yamin has recently started showing and selling her work in the studio’s booth at art fairs in Chicago. It’s just another way for her to make room for new pieces she’s creating or visualizing. She also enjoys the atmosphere at these events, meeting new people and connecting with fellow artists.

Since being challenged is integral to the artist’s pottery regime, she’s also taken part in a variety of workshops available through the studio. A week long wood firing in Wisconsin gave unusual results that made her glazed pieces blush, while Raku workshops in the Chicago suburbs created coppery treasures. Even different clay bodies at the studio give her new techniques to delve into. Marbled brown stoneware and porcelain are her favorite combination. Together, the clays blend for a marbled effect. Each time she trims a layer off the surface a new pattern emerges- something she doesn’t ever tire of.

Yamin has gotten to the point where she teaches her own artistry during the Teen Wheel Throwing Class on the weekends! She enjoys the students’ sense humor, and their ability to make her think outside the box. Not bad for someone who didn’t think she was creative only a few years ago!