The surface is where everything happens. I Explore Possibilities.
I’m a ceramic artist based in Red Deer, Alberta. My practice spans functional vessels, whimsical character work, and sculptural forms connected not by category, but by an obsession with what happens on the surface.
Glaze chemistry, slip trailing, oxide washes, texture application. This is where I spend most of my creative energy. The form is the architecture. The surface is the story.
Watch a quick video on a soda firing I made a few years ago.
Rooted in curiosity and material exploration
My expertise is in ceramic surface design: glaze chemistry, slip trailing, texture application, and color interaction. That knowledge doesn’t belong to one type of form. It belongs to every piece I make.
When you bring one of my pieces home, you’re bringing four years of formal ceramic training, ongoing glaze research, and the kind of hands-on experimentation that doesn’t show up in production work.
Every piece is one of a kind. Juror-recognized. Never repeated.
I work full-time from Flux Studio in Red Deer. Every piece that leaves my hands is intentionally crafted. Never mass-produced, never repeated.
Selected Exhibitions & Recognition
01
2025: Emerging Artist of the Year
Honored for versatile work blending function, whimsy, and sculpture, affirming my commitment to intentional design.
02
February 2026: Contemporary Art Show
Two installations: Ideas I Never Finished and How Do You Roll? – An interactive display.
03
October 2025: Abstract Unbound Exhibition
Stoneware forms exploring surface, narrative, and the landscape of central Alberta.
04
February 2025: All About Paper Exhibition
The Power Within – a heavy textured ceramic book with mixed media pages.
Glaze Tests
A Technical Focus Within My Broader Practice
An important part of my practice is glaze research and testing. I’m deeply interested in how glaze chemistry, firing temperature, and material combinations influence surface, color, and texture.
This area of ceramics is vast and continually evolving, and I approach it as an ongoing, long-term study.
I regularly test and document glaze recipes, exploring finishes that range from glossy to matte, and surfaces that respond differently depending on form and firing. Small adjustments in oxides, minerals, or application can dramatically change a result, and this unpredictability is part of what draws me to the process.
Much of my research is informed by established glaze literature, including The Complete Guide to Mid-Range Glazes by John Britt. To date, I have tested and documented over 100 glaze variations, building a growing reference library that informs both my functional and sculptural work.
This commitment to glaze development allows surface to play an active role in each piece, ensuring that color and texture are not decorative additions, but integral parts of the form itself.
– Kerry Tronnes
Find Something That Speaks to You
Handcrafted with Care
Small-batch, rooted in material honesty. Every piece reflects genuine curiosity about what clay and fire can do together.
Intentional Design
Objects made to elevate a space and start a conversation where technical craft and artistic vision meet.
One of a Kind
Functional, whimsical, and sculptural. Each piece made once and never exactly repeated.