Eat, Clay, Love.
Artist update on Rebecca Ickes Carra and Francesco Carra
LSPS-LC’s Rebecca Ickes was having a moment. The artist (b. 1986, East Moline, IL) had been spinning pots at the studio since 2017, and needed a change. But she didn’t know what that should look like. Her wedding photography business had just hit 10 years on the books, and she was tired from functioning at 100% all the time. It was time for a break (and a celebration), and the studio’s instructor Meg Biddle brought over some information she’d seen in a recent pottery magazine. La Meridiana, an international school of ceramics in Tuscany, Italy, boasted unending hours at the wheel in a beautiful setting. The program ran from January through March, the perfect amount of time between her wedding seasons. It seemed that the universe had lined things up for her, so Ickes applied and got in!
Rebecca Ickes Carra and Francesco Carra during a recent visit to LSPS-LC
Within a week of immersing herself in ceramic production in Tuscany, Ickes took a liking to the school’s assistant. Francesco Carra worked hard keeping the space and materials ready for the residents. His interactions with the other artists is what made her take notice. His thoughtfulness, and respect he showed everyone in his sphere really stood out to her. Carra (b. 1990 Gonzaga, Italy), had been a production potter for nearly a decade before joining La Meridiana. His initial foray into the medium was through an apprenticeship (in the traditional craftsmen sense), which slowly allowed him the space to become a potter himself. Mold making and slip casting duties lead up to being allowed to trim the work, but he wasn’t able to create the vessels for the business himself. He took the job a step further and started practicing to throw himself (an hour a day). This connection to the material and his thoughts about the pieces he wanted to create pushed him to join a ceramics school in France in 2013. Later, he returned to the school again to soak in knowledge on surface treatments and glaze chemistry. Carra joined La Meridiana in 2019, and had been recycling clay, preparing glazes as well as helping the residents when he met Ickes.
Ickes and her fellow students were housed across the field from the La Meridiana studios, and often ended up dining together each day. Carra joined them for conversations and meals, to share his knowledge on ceramics, the area and himself. Ickes and Carra’s first real connection was over food- and they easily found similar qualities within each other. Both artists found they shared a sense of determination when it came to life. Perseverance, grit and the belief that personal change is possible (and warranted), is what made them click. Six days into the residency, they went on their first date. Ickes remembers thinking “dating is going to SUCK in the US” after time together that included exploring a 3rd century town. They spent as much time together as possible, compressing what seemed like a year long getting-to-know you period into only two months.
Things were going well at the residency - as well as with the couple’s blossoming relationship. They (along with the rest of the world), were completely blind-sided by the news of COVID 19. Icke’s plan of learning and relaxation suddenly took a turn. Instead of thinking about what she was going to throw the next day, she had to make evacuation plans instead. She needed to get back to the other side of the ocean where her business, family and friends were! The artist made it back on March 14th, on the last direct flight from Rome to JFK! Getting the flight was a miracle and a curse- she had to leave Carra behind.
During the next five months of the pandemic, Ickes’ wedding calendar shrunk down to nothing, and she started to rethink her career. At that time, she and Carra would WhatsApp video call at least twice a day. The connection kept both of them feeling grounded at a difficult time, as well as a feeling of togetherness. Before leaving Italy, they had talked about how to be together. Their mantra became “We will figure it out”, and the video calls kept the relationship moving forward. The conversations and insights during this time made them realize they needed to be together asap.
During the pandemic shut-down, Ickes took some time to re-examine her life. Things had been reset- and not by choice. She thought about how she could take this opportunity to shape her life to what she wanted. This is how her Makers Playbook concept started. Her experience in the photography field, as well as being an artist with plenty of experience with marketing and promotions, made her think her knowledge should be shared. Her Playbook’s mission states she wants to help independent artists build viable businesses and thriving lives. “Resources for what it’s really like to make a living from the things we make” is front-and-center on her website. More than 130 podcasts feature conversations with other artists and their take on living a creative life. Ickes has helped more than 200 potters reimagine how to photograph and present their work for better sales through her online classes. And she’s also created a Fellow Makers community, where the membership helps to strengthen the arts through connections!
Rebecca Ickes Carra’s podcasts for artists, part of her Makers Playbook business
During the brief period of changing regulations and rules in the summer of 2020, Carra was able to take the opportunity to join Ickes in the same country. They were reunited in Ickes’ Lincoln Square condo, where they were subsequently married on December 14th. Ickes (now Ickes Carra) introduced Francesco to LSPS-LC shortly after he arrived. The Italian artist set right into creating bowls, mugs and vases. The couple even started their own business together ‘Carra Terra’! Everything seemed as it should be, except they quickly realized they needed more space. They loved the studio for the variety of glazes as well as the supportive community, but they were afraid to overwhelm Meg and her volunteers with an onslaught of work! To save the friendship with the non-profit, they started to look for a home AND a studio. They ended up with a fixer-upper in Wallatosa, Wi. Ever the energetic optimists, they jumped headlong into fixing up their new home, and sculpting a creative space. A strange sudo-sunroom at the back of the home was outfitted with custom shelves and a pottery wheel. Here, Carra could thoughtfully whip out commissions without overwhelming anyone but themselves! Using a white clay body rich in Iron from Kentucky Mudworks (2.2 tons delivered to them last year!) simplified cleanup and mistakes. Dry and trimmed pieces would line the walls until glaze time, at which point the artists could lift up the shelf, and work, and carry it carefully down to the basement. There, among the many hand-made tables and surfaces, the artists glaze and utilize their kiln. Glazes used are also unique to Carra Terra (fan favorite is a modified cream rust called “sand”). Francesco loves to dive into researching glaze chemistry much like looking up ingredients to his other passion- cooking. Once the pieces leave the kiln, they are placed on shelves in an additional downstairs room. Here they stay until they are sold- packaged up and shipped out by Rebecca (who also handles marketing, sales, online inventory, events and billing).
The couple’s website for their new business together called Carra Terra
Francesco Carra in the couple’s home studio. Wonders of the wheel, left, and carefully moving leather hard pieces down to the basement glaze room
Carra Terra sales happen through a variety of avenues. They utilize their Etsy shop to pick up new customers (since the platform is it’s own search engine), but always refer people to their own website if they can help it (less of their money paid to Etsy, easier to retain exclusive clients). Instagram plays a big roll in gaining a wider audience to direct to their selling sites. The couple also takes on the monumental task of selling their work in person at a variety of fairs and makers markets. Their experiences have been mixed on showing and self-promoting their wares to the public. At some events folks are just there to browse and have a good time, while at others (like the One-of-a-Kind 2024 show in Chicago they just got into!) sales are hot. Mostly, the artists use these shows to connect with local people or other artists. At the Stone Bank Farm Market, they made one connection- the owner loved their work and recommended it to their friend and renowned chef Kyle Knall (owner of Birch restaurant in Milwaukee). Several commissions later, Carra Terra is now pursuing more small-batch orders for restaurants! Their best and most consistent sales come from an unassuming source- their local farmer’s market down the street! Each weekend the Tosa Farmers Market is open a mere 4 hours- and business is brisk! Locals stop by for produce and fresh farm products and wander over to pick up a piece or two from Carra Terra. The couple even displays another vendor’s flowers in their work- which lead to that business buying bud vases. All-in-all, the two favor organic interactions, where talking about life, art and passions turns into natural connections and sales!
Some of the recently commissioned pieces used by Birch Restaurant in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Finished plates and cups photographed by Ickes Carra, drying pieces in the Carra Terra studio
Ickes and Carra look forward to expanding their line of ceramic wares to both their local community and other nationally-renowned restaurants. Their five year plan includes the possibility of moving to the Umbria region of Italy, to set up a new studio and continue their ceramic adventures together. Between Francesco’s experience as a production potter and Rebecca’s dynamic ability to make any idea grow and succeed, the two will do well- wherever they end up making their home!
Rebecca and Francesco at a recent makers market. The couple does fairs, Etsy, Instagram, website and word-of-mouth sales
Follow Carra Terra and all their creative success and foibles (like the time they had to move 1 ton of clay into their home before it froze on their front steps!).
Follow Rebecca Icke’s Makers Play Book for classes on her website and Instagram.
Article by Mieke Zuiderweg, Images provided by the artists