Although long inspired by desert plants, ceramist Jim Sudal has found his latest inspiration from ginkgo. The makings for his latest ceramic collection that celebrates the East Asian tree and its fan-shaped leaves began while working on a custom piece for a couple in Paradise Valley. “I quickly fell in love with the shapes and tremendous color variations of the leaves,” Sudal says. The “Gingko” collection currently includes sculpted stoneware clay bowls in four widths, 14-inch-square, high-relief tiles and a 5-foot-square high-relief mural, with plans to add more items, such as vases. We asked Sudal about his fascination with ginkgo, his process and more.

Q&A With Ceramic Artist Jim Sudal

You’ve taken inspiration from many desert plants—why ginkgo for this latest collection?

Over a year ago, we were commissioned by a local landscape architect to create a 5-foot square outdoor piece based on his wife’s favorite tree—the ginkgo. The couple was in the process of building their dream house in Paradise Valley, and my piece would hang on an exterior wall visible inside from the kitchen and great room. I honestly knew very little about this plant (most of my work is desert-botanical inspired), but I quickly fell in love with the leaves’ shapes and the tremendous color variations.

Tell us about your creative process and how you craft these pieces.

We began the construction process by recreating ginkgo leaf shapes in different clays to see which would perform best with what we wanted to create.

Additionally, we spent a great deal of time experimenting with ceramic glazes. So many variables had to be considered in ceramic glazing to achieve the perfect combination—kiln firing temperatures; clay colors and textures that the glazes were applied to; matte, stain or gloss sheen; opaque vs. translucent; but mostly the vast array of colors that could be blended. It can at times be a daunting and overwhelming labor of love.

Dozens upon dozens of “test tile” leaves and stems were put through the process from sculpting wet clay to final glaze firing until we found the perfect combination. At this point, we were ready to start building large-scale murals, relief tiles and our collection of individually sculpted ginkgo leaf bowls.

Does the plant and its shape impact the types of items you create for a collection?

Absolutely. Individually, the elegant fan-shaped leaf lent itself to creating wonderful free-formed bowls. And when you combine leaves of various sizes, you can create wonderful compositions like the one we created for the large tile.

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How long have you been working on this current collection?

We have been rolling it out slowly for the past several months (everything about making ceramics is slow). We started with a collection of different-sized bowls using reactive glazes. Then we made a more direct translation of the wall mural and created a 14-inch square tile and welcome sign.

The shape continues to fascinate me, and folks have been very positive, especially our winter residents from the East, where the tree is fairly common. We will continue to add more traditional forms over the summer months—vases, bowls and the like.

What initially drew you to ceramics?

It all started when I worked at the Desert Botanical Garden where I fell in love with our native plants. I began there, making ceramic pieces to sell in the gift shop. The rest is history.

What’s the best way to shop for your work?

Visit my studio and gallery in the Arts District of Old Town Scottsdale, 7037 E. First Ave., or shop through my online gallery at jimsudalceramicdesgin.com.