Today we’d like to introduce you to Russell WRANKLE.
Hi Russell, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve spent most of my life working at the intersection of art, teaching, and making things. I’ve been a ceramic artist for more than 35 years, and I’m an Associate Professor of Art at Southern Utah University.
Shape Theory Ceramics began during the pandemic as an online gallery, at a time when I was uncertain about the future of my university position. What started as a way to share and sell pottery gradually became something bigger. I built a small studio in my backyard, began offering classes, and discovered that people were looking for more than pottery instruction. They wanted a place to work with their hands, learn something difficult, and spend time with other people away from screens.
In January 2025, Shape Theory moved into its own physical studio in Cedar City. Today, it’s a working ceramics studio offering classes, memberships, workshops, and space for people to develop their own creative practices.
The thing I find most meaningful is watching people discover that creativity isn’t something reserved for artists. It’s something we can all practice. My goal has been to build a place where making things matters, where the process is as important as the finished object, and where people can find connection through the simple act of working with clay.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There are always struggles. From paying the bills as an artist to figuring out challenging pieces that are beyond one’s capabilities.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Shape Theory Ceramics?
Shape Theory Ceramics is a community ceramics studio in Cedar City, Utah, built around a simple idea: everyone is creative, and creativity grows through practice.
I’ve been a ceramic artist for more than 35 years, and my background as both a working artist and a university professor informs how we teach. We offer multi-week ceramics classes, studio memberships, workshops, and opportunities to explore wheel throwing, handbuilding, glazing, and the challenges of working with clay. Our studio gives people the tools, instruction, and time to develop their skills and discover their own creative voice.
My understanding of Shape Theory has deepened through my personal experience with grief. After my wife, Lori, died following her battle with metastatic breast cancer, I became more aware of the role that making things with your hands can play in navigating difficult experiences. Working with clay asks you to pay attention to what’s in front of you, respond to the material, and engage with the present moment. The work offers a tangible way to spend time, build capability, and find a sense of continuity through changing circumstances.
That understanding is part of what I hope Shape Theory offers. It’s a place where people can engage in meaningful work, learn a challenging skill, and connect with others through the shared experience of making. Relationships develop naturally around the work, and the studio becomes a place where people can feel at home.
Our brand language is “Where smooth is a texture.” It reflects our appreciation for the physical qualities of clay and the attention required to work with it. We believe there is real value in making things, developing skills over time, and experiencing the satisfaction of creating something that didn’t exist before.
I’m proud that Shape Theory has grown from an online gallery during the pandemic into a physical studio with a growing membership and hundreds of people who have taken classes. I’m equally proud of the culture we’re building: one that welcomes beginners, values the learning process, and recognizes creativity as a capacity everyone can develop.
Ultimately, Shape Theory is about ceramics and the human experience of making. It’s about working with our hands, paying attention, embracing the challenge of learning, and discovering what becomes possible when we give creativity a regular place in our lives.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://shapetheoryceramics.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/russellwrankle/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/russell.wrankle
