It’s a fortunate artist whose craft becomes a career. For Lindsey Wohlgemuth, wheel-thrown ceramics have become not just her vocation but a family business with her husband, Dimitar Karaytchev. Their company, Era Ceramics, sells bespoke earthen ceramics that adorn some of the top tables in Austin.
While studying art at the University of Texas, Wohlgemuth took a required class that introduced her to working with clay—and she fell in love. But after graduating, when, she says, “you lose access to your studio, a kiln or a wheel,” she drifted away from the craft. Several years later, when she and Karaytchev saw a home for rent that had a porch with a high-voltage outlet able to accommodate a kiln, they jumped on the opportunity, installing a wheel and small kiln as soon as they moved in. “Finding that place probably changed the course of our lives,” Wohlgemuth reflects.
It was in the backyard of this homegrown ceramics studio that Wohlgemuth began experimenting with pit firing, in which smoke and ash finish the clay. “It’s one of the first arts mankind ever made, because you can find clay, form it, and then you just need heat,” she observes. The organic quality of her wood-fired vases and bowls began to catch the eye of Austin tastemakers, but a trip to New York City, where she visited the studio of a fellow ceramicist and learned about his journey creating dishes, inspired her to double down on dinnerware.
Wohlgemuth says replacing her store-bought plates with her own pieces frequently led to creative breakthroughs. “I was picking it up, looking at it, washing it, scraping a spoon across it,” she recalls. “That’s when I started honing all the details.” Time and experimentation also elevated her craft. “Different clay bodies have unique textures and colors,” the artist notes. “It takes practice to get to know all the materials and make refinements.” Before introducing a new finish, Wohlgemuth makes dozens of color samples, experimenting with different clay and glaze recipes. “Then I’ll throw a bunch of plates or bowls, and I’ll start testing,” she explains. “It’s months of trying things out, because it’s hard to predict what’s going to happen.”
Fans can get a window into Wohlgemuth’s creative process—and the biophilic pieces that result—on social media. That inside look may be part of why Era Ceramics often sell out the moment a new drop is announced: The craft and care are visible in every piece.
An Era Ceramics bud vase in the Grotto finish.
Ceramicist Lindsey Wohlgemuth applies glaze to bowls in her studio.
She makes multiple color samples on tiles.
