About Freight Train Ceramics
Materials
My ceramics is wood-fired and uses local Montana materials such as rhyolite and granite. The local materials make the work truly Montanan and pay homage to a long line of ceramic artists who came before me.
About the Artist
Miles Heespelink is a woodfire ceramic artist based in Bozeman, Montana. His work draws inspiration from traditional Japanese pottery, Peter Voulkus, Josh DeWeese, and many other sources.
Artist statement
I am interested in the fusion of wild ceramic materials with different types of wood ash and the surface that is created in the variable atmosphere of a wood kiln. Many of my forms are made to collect ash and show the path of the flame in the kiln while referencing ideas of bottles, baskets, or buckets.
We use a different mix of cottonwood, ash, elm, aspen, fir, or maple wood for each firing. Different woods have different types of ash effects due to their salt and potassium content, varying from species to species and from where in the tree the wood comes from.
For 4 days ash accumulates on pots with the temperatures reaching over 2300° F, melting the ash and creating a glaze that is unique to that firing. After a long 4 days of putting wood in the kiln, the excitement and anticipation of the unloading starts to grow. Hundreds of vessels, sculptures, and experiments are cooling as a dedicated crew waits patiently in anticipation of the unloading. It’s like Christmas.
CV
2026 Participant - SLAM Summer Festival at Bogert Park, Bozeman, MT
2026 Participant - Big Sky Arts Festival - Lone Peak Drive, Town Center, Big Sky, MT
2026 This Land of Clay Exhibit - at the Danforth Museum of Art, Livingston, MT
2026 Participant - Bozeman Art Walk - at the Emerson Center for the Arts & Culture, Bozeman, MT
2025 Formation Under the Big Sky: Wild Clay Research at MSU - showcased at NCECA, Salt Lake City, UT
2025 Featured Artist - Big Sky Artists Studio Gallery (Month of January), Big Sky, MT
2024 Participant - Art for Everyone - at the Wilson Hotel, Big Sky, MT
Present Member Big Sky Collective, Big Sky, MT
2024 Participant Bozeman Art Walk - at The Baxter Hotel, Bozeman, MT
2024 Graduated from Montana State University with a BFA in Ceramics, Bozeman, MT
2024 Helen Copeland Gallery, BFA Thesis, Traction, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
2023 Exit Gallery display case solo show, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
2023 Participant - SLAM Summer Festival - at Bogert Park, Bozeman, MT
2022 Developed a piece presented to Arthur Blank (co-founder Home Depot) as a gift
2021 Exit Gallery, Currents, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
2019 Started Undergrad at Montana State University, Bozeman, MT
