Morgan Bates

Morgan Bates (1984, New Haven, Connecticut) is a software developer by day, but a potter by night! Thursday nights at LSPS-LC that is.

Bates had the fortune of taking a wheel-throwing class to fulfill his diverse class load for college, but wasn’t able to take another one until he settled into his new home in Chicago a few years later. His brother gave him a gift certificate to the studio on Lincoln Avenue, and Bates has never looked back!

The clean lines, functionality and endless possibility of form is what has kept Bates at the wheel over many studio sessions. Like most artists, he prefers to create each piece as a one-of-a-kind exploration. Bowls, plates, cups, vases and ornaments make a regular rotation in his studio life, often lining up with special events like studio and holiday shows. Stress release, a sense of community and a creative outlet is what has kept him coming back to the studio year after year.

Some of Bates’ staples are coffee mugs and beer steins. Since he himself has large hands, he often creates vessels with extra wide handles. It is not unusual to have tall men wander into the studio specifically looking for Bates’ mugs. His ornaments and Chicago-themed items tend to sell as well.

Bates clearly sees each piece as a blank canvas of sorts because the work is utilized to the fullest in terms of design. His handle of the studio’s glazes give him the ability to create unusual and arresting surfaces, yet he’s comfortable sketching out whole scenes in designer liner as well. One of his newest series highlights the characters Lum-ox and Imbi-seal. An inside joke between he and his wife, Beth, has developed into plates featuring the misadventures of the animals. We see a children’s book in Bates’ future, along with his continued and varied ceramics practice!