Artist Statement
Clay is a medium of transformation. Each vessel begins as earth, shaped by hand, but only becomes itself through the unpredictable alchemy of fire. I fire these works in Neiseru Gama, the wood kiln I built at my studio in Naselle, Washington, where flame, ash, and atmosphere leave their mark on every surface. Wood firing resists complete control. The process leaves evidence of the fire’s passage, creating surfaces that are never fully repeatable and never entirely mine to decide.
My practice is shaped by my experience as a Japanese American artist. Drawing from wood-firing traditions, historic ceramic forms, Japanese folklore, and personal history, I create vessels that explore identity, memory, cultural inheritance, and belonging. Many of my sculptural works are inspired by yokai, the supernatural beings of Japanese folklore. Rather than illustrating specific stories, I use these figures as a way to examine contemporary experiences and enduring human concerns. Themes of resilience, displacement, prejudice, power, grief, and transformation frequently emerge through the work.
Local materials often become part of the process. Regional clays, wood ash, and naturally sourced materials connect each firing to the landscape where it was made. The vessel becomes a meeting place between place, process, and memory.
Working with clay and fire is how I find balance in the world. It is both grounding and spiritual, a conversation with materials that unfolds over time. I am drawn to the vessel because it carries history so naturally. It can be functional, sculptural, personal, and communal all at once. Through these forms, I seek to create work that honors tradition while remaining open to new interpretations and possibilities.
Artist Biography
Randy McClelland is a ceramic artist based in Naselle, Washington. Working primarily in wood-fired stoneware, he creates vessels that explore identity, folklore, memory, and the transformative relationship between clay and fire.
Born to a Japanese mother and American father, McClelland’s practice is informed by his experience as a Japanese American artist navigating multiple cultural traditions. His work draws inspiration from Japanese folk narratives, historic ceramic forms, and the rich wood-firing traditions that have shaped generations of potters. Whether creating functional pottery or sculptural vessels inspired by yokai and canopic forms, he uses clay as a way to examine both personal and collective histories.
McClelland fires much of his work in Neiseru Gama, the wood kiln he built at his studio on Washington’s southwest coast. Local materials frequently find their way into the work, including regional clays, wood ash, and other naturally sourced materials that connect each firing to the landscape where it was made. The unpredictable nature of wood firing leaves visible traces of flame, ash, and atmosphere, making every piece a record of its journey through the kiln.
His work has been exhibited throughout the Pacific Northwest and has been featured in solo and group exhibitions exploring themes of heritage, social justice, folklore, and the enduring relevance of the ceramic vessel.
CV
Japanese American wood-fire ceramic artist based in Naselle, Washington. Randy McClelland’s practice explores transformation, folklore, identity, and material memory through atmospheric firing and locally sourced materials.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
Random Yokai, 2025, The Cannon Beach Gallery, Cannon Beach, OR.
Hafu Potter, 2024, The Hoffman Center for the Arts, Manzanita, OR.
Interdisciplinarity, 2022, RiverSea Gallery, Astoria, OR.
Tribute to Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, 2023, RiverSea Gallery, Astoria, OR.
Home Spirit: A Collection of Ceramics from Hand, Heart and Soul, 2012, RiverSea Gallery, Astoria, OR.
TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
Bestiary, 2026, RiverSea Gallery, Astoria, OR. with Penelope Dews
Fire and Tide, 2026, The Cannon Beach Gallery, Cannon Beach, OR. with Colin Meston
Ahikaaroa, Under the Beaver Moon, 2021, RiverSea Gallery, Astoria, OR. with Richard Rowland
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
Local Materials, 2025, The Hoffman Center for the Arts, Manzanita, OR.
Unobtrusive Beauty, 2024, RiverSea Gallery, Astoria, OR.
Sculpture Exhibition, 2020, Cannon Beach Art Gallery, Cannon Beach, OR.
Ahikaaroa – Fire from Long Ago: Three Perspectives in Clay, 2019, RiverSea Gallery, Astoria, OR.
Richard Rowland and Friends, 2009, Cannon Beach Art Gallery, Cannon Beach, OR.
Sanctification of Place, 2006, National Consortium for Education of Ceramic Arts, Portland, OR.
SELECTED PUBLIC ART & CURATORIAL PROJECTS
Curator and participating artist for Local Materials group exhibition, December 2025, The Hoffman Center for the Arts, Manzanita, OR.
- Worked with seven ceramic artists and gallery representatives for an exhibition highlighting use of local materials in wood-fired ceramics.
- Organized two group wood-firings in support of the body of work for the exhibition.
Project Manager for Art Installation, 2018 – 2020, CMH Medical Group & Urgent Care – Seaside, Seaside, OR.
- Responsible for the art installation at the CMH Medical Group & Urgent Care in Seaside, OR.
- Worked collaboratively with South Clatsop County artists to deliver commissioned works of art from a variety of different mediums.
Project Manager for Art Installation, 2015 – 2017, CMH-OHSU Knight Cancer Collaborative, Astoria, OR.
- Collaborated with more than 20 regional artists, including Richard Rowland, Henk Pander and Noel Thomas, to commission unique artwork made specifically for the new Cancer Collaborative.
- Earned the Columbia Memorial Hospital President’s Award in recognition of my coordination of the artwork in the Cancer Collaborative.
CERAMICS AND ART EXPERIENCE
Woodfire Potter, 2023 – Present, Naselle Pottery Studio, Naselle, WA
- Operates Neiseru Gama, a private wood-fire kiln and ceramics studio in Naselle, Washington.
Anagama Potter, 2000 – 2022, Astoria Dragon Kiln and Ahikaaroa Kiln, Astoria, OR.
- Participated in over 50 anagama firings with master potter Richard Rowland. Experience includes thousands of hours building, preparing, loading and firing two anagama kilns.
Anagama Potter, 2010 – 2012, Hikarigama Kiln, Elkton, OR.
- Participated in three anagama workshops hosted by Hiroshi Ogawa.
- Teamed up with other professional potters to load and fire the anagama and noborigama (soda chamber).
ART AS A VOLUNTEER
Community Bowls Benefit, 2002 – 2025, Clatsop and Tillamook Counties, OR.
Worked with a small group of community potters in Astoria, OR. to make and fire approximately 500 soup bowls donated to the women’s resource centers in Clatsop and Tillamook Counties. The bowls are given to donors attending fundraising dinners, and all proceeds fund the centers. The participating artists committed to sustaining the project for more than 20 years.
Cancer Center Coffee Cups, 2011 – 2022, CMH-OHSU Knight Cancer Collaborative, Astoria, OR.
Working collaboratively with my friend and mentor, Richard Rowland, I helped make approximately 500 coffee cups annually that are given to patients who finish a round of cancer treatment in Astoria.
Planetree Mural, 2017, CMH-OHSU Knight Cancer Collaborative, Astoria, OR.
Working with potter Richard Rowland and other volunteers, I volunteered around 500 hours to help create a massive ceramic mural of a planetree that is the focal point of the Cancer Collaborative’s Healing Garden.
MEDIA & PRESS
Featured artist, Art by Northwest, Cascade PBS (scheduled Fall 2026 broadcast)
Ceramics Monthly, “Clay Culture: Kiln and Community,” April 2020
CMH Health Compass, “Mindfulness in a Mug,” March 2019
Daily Astorian, October 4, 2017
EDUCATION
B.S., Integrative Studies with minors in anthropology and sociology, and communications
Eastern Oregon University, La Grande, OR.