Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Behunin.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I began making pottery 35 years ago as a freshman at Highland High. I was pitiful, but I kept working at it through high school. An art scholarship to Ricks College, (Rexburg, Idaho) in 1992 followed, and later an apprenticeship in Germany in 1995, set me on a course from which I’ve never wavered.
After a year studying art and business at BYU-Hawaii, I transferred to the U of U where I continued with art and business. In 1996, I married Lynnette Scott in 1997, just over a year after, I’d begun making pottery full-time in a borrowed studio. The desire to expand, teach, and have a business partner led us to open Sugar Post Pottery in 1998. Eighteen months later, the desire to not teach anymore but to have my own creative space where I could work and sell my wares drove me to sell my share of the Sugar Post. With the proceeds, I financed the building of our backyard home studio, just west of East High School in the artsy 9th and 9th area.
Recognizing the need to pay the mortgage and feed my growing family, I began showing my work at the Buyers Market of American Craft in Philadelphia every February. For the next seven years, the majority of my work was sold outside of Utah and sent to galleries all over the US. It was a lot of fun, but a lot of work and it ultimately was not sustainable. At age 30, I was diagnosed with arthritis in my hands. I was only thirty and I didn’t have time for that. So I changed gears. Instead of working exclusively on the wheel, I switched to mostly hand building, developing my drawing and carving skills to create pots that told stories and shared messages. But after seven years of showing and selling at the BMAC, I knew I couldn’t keep going and maintain my health. I slowed down, kept only my favorite galleries, and began writing more seriously after being a closeted writer for many years.
In 2009, after 11 years of writing, I published the first of my Niederbipp Trilogy, Remembering Isaac. It seemed to strike a chord, both for me and my readers. I quickly began being invited to speak to book clubs. Local interest in my books and pottery grew and soon my work was selling mostly to a local clientele. I’ve continued to write—now 14 books. I’m working on several others. And I’m still working my way through 8-10 tons of clay each year. My studio showroom is open 6 days a week, and twice a year we host our annual Mother’s Day and Christmas Sale, book signing, and home tour.
In 2011, after spending a considerable amount of time looking for a home in the suburbs, we decided that if we took the time to water the grass on our side of the fence, ours would turn out just as green. We gave up the dream of the suburbs and turned our 1921 bungalow into our dream house, raising the roof, adding space, updating everything. It was the right choice for us and it’s been great to stay in the neighborhood we’ve grown to love.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Never a smooth road! From 9/11 to economic downturns to global pandemics. We’ve ridden highest and ridden low. 9/11 happened six months after I’d moved the studio to our home. The studio wasn’t even finished and I’d sunk our entire savings into it and we had a six-month-old baby.
That was the most unnerving time of my career. An arthritis diagnosis at 30 was no picnic, and the ups a downs of the economy have been trying. Art is considered a luxury by most. People don’t worry about luxury when times are hard. My parent’s divorce, the changing of the economy in 2008 the decline in the number and quality of galleries, and most recently the global pandemic have all affected business and psyche, But we’ve kept plowing on.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As a potter, I turn clay into stone using wheels, slab rollers, extrudes, and kilns. My work is graphic and narrative in nature. It often closely reflects my deep faith and my desire to spread love, hope, and positivity through it.
I am probably best known for this graphic work, employing primitive printmaking techniques with clay. I like to make work that is heavily textured, colorful, whimsical, and joyful. I feel like my role as an artist is to try to make the world a more beautiful, compassionate, and colorful place.
I’m probably most proud of the home we’ve created where we’ve raised our kids surrounded by art. Every inch of it has become a work of art. 600 square feet of hand-made tiles are scattered across our home. We’ve collected art since we were first married and we love displaying it throughout our home. We live in art.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
Because I’m a writer, I don’t have nearly as much time to read as I would like. What I do read is mostly explorations into spirituality and creativity.
I love biographies. I read C.S., Lewis, William Penn, poetry, and scripture. As a practicing member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, my podcast listening often centers around faith. But I also like Creative Peptalk, How I Built This, This American Life, RadioLab, and The Moth.
Pricing:
- $5-$300
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.potterboy.com
- Instagram: @Niederbippboy
- Facebook: BenBehunin@facebook.com
Image Credits
Mary Jolley and Martin Buchert
