Adam Reeder was self-taught as a boy, soaking up knowledge wherever he could—reading books, studying other’s work, and by making mistakes. Honing his skill over the years, Reeder earned his MFA in sculpture from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, and has since unveiled his award-winning pieces in cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, Santa Fe and London. The artist—who now teaches ceramics—is often motivated by those who are also eager to learn. “I’m inspired by my [four] kids,” says Reeder. “Over the last few years, I’ve also found inspiration in the eyes of [my students] learning sculpture or ceramics for the first time.”

 HLB: How did you begin sculpting? 

AR: I started out copying Spiderman and X-Men comics when I was 14 years old. My twin brother was a far better artist, and I was determined to be better than him. I drew a ton, and then a friend gave me some clay. I fell in love with it! Clay feels alive to me. I sculpted for about a year before I started selling bronzes. The rest is history.

HLB: What’s your process? 

AR: Sometimes a composition will come to me as I’m going to sleep. Other times I have to draw ideas. The art is the spark of the idea or the composition; the rest is just manual labor. Once it’s created, I’ll make a rubber mold if it’s to become bronze, then it goes to a foundry. If it’s ceramic, the process is much faster. Making ceramics feels a bit more like I’m making art for “me”—for my soul.

HLB: Do you gravitate toward certain themes? 

AR: When I work, I do so in a few ways. The first is strictly to be cathartic. Ceramic work feels that way to me. I’m making it without intention...it feels like I’m getting a massage in my brain. The next way is when I’m reacting to my world. I have a body of work about how technology changes the way we interact with our world—connecting Greek gods and iPods (and the like).

HLB: What advice do you have for overcoming artist’s block? 

AR: Have short deadlines. If I’m pressed by a deadline, I can make magic happen. For ceramic work, the best thing is just to start. If you start, your hands will find it and something will happen.

HLB: What do you like about your community?

AR: We moved to Folsom from the Bay Area over four years ago. I love the pace of life and the people here—it’s a bit more laid-back. I feel like I have a pretty good sense of California, and I like it here best. 

HLB: What’s in store for the future? 

AR: I’ll continue to make art, as long as people want it. A good deal of my creative energy the past year has been dumped into the new furniture paint I invented, Mudpaint, which is a specialty paint designed for antiquing furniture. I know this isn’t “fine art,” but it uses the same creative juices. Lately I’ve been focusing my art on ceramic creations—it’s been very relaxing.

adamreeder.com