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Where Earth Meets Fire: The Art of Letting Go with Deborah Slahta
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Guest: Deborah Slahta
In this episode of The Artist Is In, ceramic artist Deborah Slahta joins me for a grounded and powerful conversation about process, patience, and the quiet courage it takes to let go. From the tactile rituals of working with clay to the unpredictable dance of heat and glaze in the kiln, Deborah shares how her practice has become both a discipline and a release. We talk about the space between control and surrender, the balance of structure and softness, and what it means to trust the transformation.
Whether you're drawn to clay, creativity, or the deeper lessons art can teach us about being human, this episode is a gentle reminder that sometimes, true beauty comes from the fire we’re willing to step into.
🎤 About Deb Slahta:
Deborah Slahta explores the vessel as a three-dimensional canvas, producing finely crafted raku and stoneware ceramics. Known for precise designs, she utilizes geometric constructions and patterned motifs on the surface of the pot. Additional work abandons the well-defined divisions of space; brushstrokes and multiple layers of glaze combine and flow to create a more painterly approach. She is a native of Hellertown, Pennsylvania, and is a lifelong resident of the Lehigh Valley.
While attending Moravian College, Deborah began a lifelong passion for clay, graduating in 1977 with a degree in Mathematics. Deborah has been a juried resident artist at the Banana Factory Arts Center, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, since May of 2000, where she taught ceramic classes for all ages. Her work has been exhibited in national and regional shows, including “PA Craft”; at the State Museum in Harrisburg, “Area Artists 2017” at Lehigh University, and is a participating artist at “Cocktails and Collecting” at the Allentown Art Museum.
Since the closure of the Banana Factory in 2024, she now works out of Juxtahub, a new Arts & Innovation Center located in Emmaus, PA.
Website: https://juxtahub.com/deborah-slahta/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057147352610
Thanks for listening and share the podcast with your friends!
EPISODE CREDITS
Produced, edited, and mixed by Kat Collins Studio
Artwork designed by Kat Collins Studio
LINKS
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Podcast: https://www.artistisin.com
Website: https://www.katcollinsstudio.com
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