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From American Craft Magazine, April/May 2011 - "Justin Rothshank of Goshen, Indiana, and Bryan Hopkins of Buffalo, New York, are earnest potters who are producing fresh and beautiful work. They are relatively young and stylistically different in approach and intent. Whether it's ridiculously loose thrown tableware paired with decals (Justin), or massive hunks and delicate sheets of porcelain paired with gold luster (Bryan), their pieces capture the visceral nature of clay with all its vitality and wit. There's also irony in what they do, but it isn't cynical. Seeing this work makes me excited and optimistic, and also hopeful about the future of our field." ~~Michael Lamar, Altamira Lighting, American Craft Council trustee, Providence, RI
From Exhibition Catalog for High Roads/Low Roads, 2006 -
"An encounter with Rothshank's clay works is an encounter with the
unexpected ingenuity. The assorted debris of the automotive
garage--mufflers, oil cans, buckets--is reclaimed by the artist for a
captivatingly eccentric series of vessels. Rothshank fires teapots and
other ceramic sculptures in the monochromatic colors of humble engine
parts and mechanical artifacts. Crumpled and asymmetrical, Rothshank's
muffler teapots have a carefree verticality, while his buckets, oil
cans, and other assorted implements are soulful, dinted, and lovingly
care-worn." From 500 Pitchers, Lark Books, Published 2006 - "There are engaging qualities in Justin Rothshank's simple appropriation of nature; the casual stance, weathered edge, and rustic glaze of his piece suggest tree bark, with a branch as a stem."
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