Austin · Artist Spotlight
Ryan McKerley Lets Erosion Decorate the Pot
The Austin potter's soda-fired porcelain carries a signature 'water-carved' surface that mimics how water wears away stone — functional, affordable, quietly masterful.
A water-carved porcelain jar by Ryan McKerley — see more at ryanmckerley.com
Ryan McKerley lets erosion do the decorating. The Austin potter has been making functional porcelain since 1995, and his surfaces carry a signature pattern he creates with a technique he calls "water carving" — a method that mimics the way water wears away stone. "Process is the main influence on my work," he says. "I use a technique called water carving that mimics erosion." The result: soda-fired cups, jars, and vessels whose soft, eroded lines look found rather than drawn.
At a Glance
- Based in
- Austin, Texas
- Medium
- Soda-fired porcelain
- Technique
- 'Water carving' (erosion)
- In clay since
- 1995
- Buy via
- His shop & Art of the Pot
The water-carving technique
McKerley's method is as patient as it sounds. "I paint paraffin on my dry, unfired pots," he explains, "and then wash the surface with a very wet sponge" — the wax resists, the sponge erodes the exposed clay, and what's left is relief and line. Most pieces are then soda-fired, which gives the porcelain its soft, atmospheric skin. "Certain lines and shapes are possible in water carving," he notes, "and these are the lines and shapes in my work."
From Abilene to an Austin studio
McKerley earned his BFA from Abilene Christian University in West Texas, where he first found clay, then moved to Austin in 1995 to apprentice under potter Billy Ray Mangham — and has been making pots in the city ever since. His influences are refreshingly un-precious: "I look to mass-produced glass, metal and plastic for inspiration," he says, "just as much as I look to contemporary and historic pottery." Today he also keeps the ceramic studio running as a technician at Austin's Dougherty Arts Center.
Process is the main influence on my work. I use a technique called water carving that mimics erosion.
Functional work, made to be used
McKerley's pots are made for daily life — cups, mugs, jars, oval vessels — at prices that keep handmade porcelain genuinely reachable (recently roughly $45 to $175 on his site). He also helps organize Austin's beloved Art of the Pot studio tour, one of the best chances each year to meet the city's potters and buy directly from the people who threw the work.
Why we're watching him
McKerley has a three-decade Austin practice and a genuinely distinctive surface technique that almost no one else uses. Functional, affordable, and quietly masterful — exactly the kind of maker a city's clay community is built around.
Where to see — and buy — his work
His shop and portfolio live at ryanmckerley.com, where he sells one-off pieces and workshops, and he posts new work on Instagram at @ryanmckerley. You can also meet him and buy in person on the Art of the Pot studio tour.
About this spotlight: an independent, unpaid feature, written because we admire the work — drawn from public sources, including the artist's own statement and shop, plus his Artaxis profile. All work and images are the artist's; see the work in full via the links above.
Questions, answered
Who is Ryan McKerley?
Where can I buy Ryan McKerley's pottery?
Find · Follow · Support
Where to find Ryan McKerley
Love Ryan's work? Here's everywhere to see more, follow along, and support Ryan directly. Give a follow, share the work, and — if a piece speaks to you — buy from the artist.
Ryan was chosen for an Austin Gallery spotlight simply because we admire the work — a free, unpaid feature with nothing asked in return. We believe a gallery's real job is to help people find work worth loving. If you make art in Austin, we'd be honored to celebrate yours too —tell us about your work.
Keep Reading
Community
Austin Artist Spotlights
Our free spotlight series on Austin's working artists — and how to get featured.
Community
Austin Artists to Watch in 2026
Our annual list of Austin artists across every medium.
Austin
Where to Find Local Art in Austin
A field guide to the museums, studios, and the studio tour worth your time.