Temperature of Creation

“There’d be no ceramics without heat,” says artist Keith Kreeger. Keith has been working with clay for the last 26 years, ever since he took a summer course at Skidmore College and fell in love with the process. After working at a co-op studio in Port Chester, New York, and starting his own studio in Cape Cod, Keith relocated to Austin, Texas, where he now lives and works.

Keith walks me through his ceramics practice, explaining how temperature plays an integral role in transforming clay into a functional object. To date, his work has been focused primarily on the pieces we use around a table: serving bowls, vases, pitchers, mugs. He’s become known for his dinnerware, working with chefs around the country to make custom sets. To him, the appeal of dinnerware comes down to connection and community. “Ceramics has a very long history for human beings, and it started as a way to store, cook and serve food. You needed all of these functional objects to live.”

While these objects may not be strictly necessary today, he says, the rituals behind them remain. “It’s one of the few pieces of art that you touch and hold. If it’s a cup...