FRIENDS OF BEND: BEN MEDANSKYBehind The Bend

With all of the product development that we’ve been doing over the last few months, our minds have been fully occupied by all things Bend. Last week, however we got to take a break from the world of wire that we live in and explore a new medium, ceramics. One of our favorite makers on the scene today, Ben Medansky, was nice enough to invite us over for a studio tour. To say it was inspiring would definitely be an understatement. Medansky takes pottery to another dimension and it was a breath of fresh air being around so much creativity.

Like us, Ben is in this business for the design. His talent and determination to keep his craft pure is, in our opinion, what makes him successful. Born and raised in Arizona, he credits his early inspiration to the “bright blue Skies and soaring mineral formations of his home state.” His formal education would then take him to Chicago where he studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. Medansky then came back west and had the chance to hone his skills at some great studios here in Los Angeles. One in particular is another one of our favorites the Haas Brothers.

All of these experiences would lead to 2012 and the creation of Ben Medansky Ceramics, which resides here in downtown Los Angeles. His collections are hand made in that same studio and shipped and collected worldwide. Ben “believes in the purity of his process: manipulating extrusions and the timeless performance of wheel-throwing.” We can’t tell you how much we enjoyed sitting back and watching him work. The creativity that flows from mind to hands is truly and inspiring thing to watch. Head over to Ben’s website here and check out the photos of our tour in the gallery above. That’s all for now on Friends of Bend. Until next time when we bring you another inspiring maker!