Know Better, Do Better: Navigating Ethical Dilemmas for Vegan Potters

Every choice I make in my home and in my studio is affected by a choice I made nearly 30 yrs ago, to live a vegan life. As an ethical vegan, my priority is always to exclude as much as is possible and practical the exploitation or harm of animals in any way. While the world has come a long way in recognizing veganism in the last few decades, the complexities of truly living a purely vegan life reach far beyond simply leaving animals off my plate.

The reality is that animal derived ingredients are used in ways that most of us could not even conceive and living vegan can become quite an overwhelming and emotionally burdensome task if we are to hold ourselves to an impossible standard. When asked how I navigate the world as a vegan and a potter I reflect on a lecture I heard very early on in my vegan life and one sentence of that speech serves as a reminder that we must each do our best because there is no perfection in veganism or in life. The statement went something like this:

The statement I paraphrased above has stayed with me because it reminds me that I am not infallible and the more I learn the better decisions I can make moving forward. Let’s be clear, I’m not trying to create a disclaimer here but I am encouraging those who feel as deeply as I do about avoiding animal derived ingredients to go easy on ourselves because the fact of the matter is animal ingredients are present in car and bike tires, fabric softener, fireworks, many adhesives, some bio-fuel, paint, varnish, cleaners, fertilizers, laminated wood products and the list goes on and on.

So here are some ways my veganism effects decisions I make in my career as a potter, I’ve included a short form at the bottom of this page where you can send me a comment, suggestion or your own studio practices as they relate to veganism in an effort to connect and support one another. I LOVE meeting other vegan potters so please do reach out via the form below to let me know if you too are a vegan potter!

Clay and Glaze

Clay and glazes are composed of ingredients that are mined from the earth and as we all know, mining is an industry that can be detrimental to the environment and certainly devastating to ecosystems in the area being mined. In addition, there is no way to ensure there are not decomposed microorganisms that occur in any layer of our earth present in the materials before they are processed and delivered to potters like myself. The single most important thing I do in my own studio to offset the carbon footprint of my material usage is to recycle and reuse clay trimmings, throwing water and glaze in order to get the most out of it. I also recycle and reuse the plastic bags and elastic bands the clay comes in, and use them for clay trimmings and recycled clay.

The main ingredient to look out for in clay and glaze is ‘bone ash’. Bone ash is comprised of ground up bones (usually from cows) that are heated and then crushed into a fine white powder. Simply look to your manufacturers SDS (Safety Data Sheets) which are typically readily available online for a list of ingredients for individual clay bodies and glazes.

Pottery Tools

The two most obvious tools to avoid are natural or marine sponge made from sea sponges and chamois cloth which is typically made from goat skin. Occasionally leather handles may be something to look out for but generally most pottery tools are made from wood, metal or plastic.

Brushes

This is a topic I get most asked about and my answer is always two fold. I like to be fully transparent and while I don’t purchase brushes made from animal hair I do own and use animal hair brushes that I’ve acquired second hand either via other artists like my father who used to own an art supply store, or through the purchase of used equipment that came with other used tools. The bottom line is that animal hair brushes work really well and so I have glued and re-glued handles and bristles to these few brushes over and over again through the years in an effort to make them last as long as possible. When looking to purchase vegan brushes the keywords to look for are synthetic or nylon. Be aware some companies are now making nylon blends which still contain some animal hair so it’s a good idea to read the details carefully when purchasing new brushes.

A second option is to make your own brushes from animal hair you source yourself. Horse tail (tail hair is often trimmed in normal care practices) makes great brushes and if you have access to an animal sanctuary you might ask if they ever brush their animals like goats or cows and if they could save some of the hair for you to use to make your own brushes. Simply get some pieces of thin bamboo (which by nature has a hole in either end, wrap a bundle of hair in strong floss or twine and glue the wrapped end inside of the the bamboo. Getting creative with making your own brushes can be a wonderful way to connect with local sanctuaries and assist your studio art at the same time.

Finishes and Resists

If you are familiar with a method of applying a resist to the surface of bone dry clay and wiping back the clay to create a raised area where the resist is applied, the most commonly used resist in this method is Shellac which is made from a resin produced by the Lac bug most commonly found in India.

If you are working in pit firing or other non traditional firing methods and want to seal your finish be sure to watch out for beeswax which can be present in some wax finishes and varnish containing shellac. Butcher’s wax is generally made from tree derived ingredients and can be a good alternative method of finishing work not meant for food.

I’d love to hear from you! Please use the form below to connect with me!