An Interview with Ronnie Rodriguez-Klodt
Potter and Space Force spouse Ronnie Rodriguez-Klodt shares the journey that brought her to military life and her love of pottery. While art is beautiful to the senses, its greatest beauty is what we discover about ourselves while crafting it and the connections we make with others who create.
MilspoFAN: Tell us a little about yourself, your journey as a military spouse, and where you are today.
Ronnie: My name is Veronica, but I go by “Ronnie”. I was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in a small suburb outside of Denver. I dropped out of high school my senior year and went through a rough time for a while, until I decided that I wanted to make something of myself and got accepted into the police academy. I was a police officer in Colorado for seven years before meeting my husband. My husband and I met online in 2010. He was stationed at Buckley with the Air Force, and we were married in May of 2012. We PCS’d to Cavalier, North Dakota in November of that same year. Since then, we have been stationed at Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs; Vandenberg SFB, California; and Maxwell AFB, Alabama. My husband separated from the Air Force and joined the Space Force while we were stationed at Vandenberg and has been a Guardian since 2020. I currently work at Maxwell AFB-Gunter Annex of the Chief of Protocol for the Barnes Center for Enlisted Education, and I love my job. I get to engage with high level officials and foreign allies on a regular basis.
We are currently stationed in Montgomery, Alabama and my husband will retire after 21 years in 2025. After retirement we are looking forward to taking things easy, enjoying time with our three dogs, and continuing to make art. I will work for the next few years until I am able to retire, then we are planning to move to Italy and enjoy true retirement!
MilspoFAN: How did you become a potter/ceramicist?
Ronnie: I found pottery in the middle of 2021 when I found a small pottery studio in Buellton, CA called Community Clayworks. We were stationed at Vandenberg SFB, and I was feeling restless and had been looking for a creative outlet for some time. I tried so many things from knitting, to crocheting, to painting, and nothing stuck until I took my first pottery class with Veronica Medina. The moment I sat down at the wheel and pulled my first pot, I was home. I took several more classes and became a member of the studio, which allowed me to come in and work on pieces several times a week. I put a lot of miles on my car between 2021 and 2023.
MilspoFAN: Describe for us your creative work and the aesthetic of your ceramics.
Ronnie: I have learned that clay is going to do what clay is going to do. Sure, you can manipulate clay into whatever you want it to be, but there is so much freedom in letting the clay do its thing, and I am there to help guide it. I find that I oversee so much in my everyday life that sitting down at the wheel with zero expectations of what’s to come is therapeutic for me. This process is manageable since I have no desire to be a production potter, I just want to make beautiful things.
However, I do take control back when it comes to glazing. When I first started, I felt like a fish out of water, throwing glaze on haphazardly and hoped for the best. This made me loathe the glazing phase of pottery. I was stuck in a rut when it came to glazing for a long time, but after a recent trip to NCECA (National Council on Education for the Ceramic Arts), I was inspired to try something different, and I have changed course.
When first meeting me, you will notice two things; I wear fun glasses and I have a TON of brightly colored tattoos. I love American Traditional, Neo-Traditional, and New Skool tattoos, and I want to bring my love for those styles and colors to my pottery. I also love sgraffito (carving) so this is a perfect way to incorporate that practice into my pieces with flowers, mandalas, and any other images fitting those styles.
MilspoFAN: How has your role as a military spouse impacted your work as a ceramicist- creatively, logistically, or otherwise?
Ronnie: I have found that being a military spouse has both positively and negatively impacted my life as a potter. First off, let’s be real, pottery equipment and supplies are not cheap. Plus, they are heavy. This makes it hard to have an in-home studio. This forces a spouse to look for studios outside of the home, and depending on where you are, this can be a cumbersome thing. However, being a military spouse forces a person to not shy away from getting to know new people; we must do it each time we PCS. I, myself, have never been the type of person to walk up to a stranger and engage in conversation because I hate small talk. Pottery has given me a way to avoid this discomfort that comes with small talk. It seems that the moment someone learns that you are a potter, they ask questions and they are genuinely interested in the art-form, and I can talk about pottery all day long, so it’s perfect.
Being a military spouse has also given me the opportunity to see different cultures, and environments that I have been able to derive inspiration from. Whether that is other potters or new landscapes, I find inspiration in all of it. Through pottery, I have formed great friendships throughout the world and these friendships inspire me. These potters challenge me to try new things and get out of my comfort zone. They have also helped me in being able to create my own studio with suggestions on equipment, putting me in contact with those selling equipment and supplies, and teaching me how to use them.
MilspoFAN: How do you meet other artists or plug into the local arts scene when you PCS?
Ronnie: Surprisingly, the potter community is very small, and there is always someone who knows someone somewhere. Potters are always willing to help, and I have been able to build my network of potters exponentially by attending NCECA each year. This allows me to get to know potters around the world, proving to be beneficial with each PCS.
There were several potters that I followed on Instagram, and when I found out that we were moving, I reached out to them and began building my network here in Montgomery before I was physically here. One thing I have noticed about most potters is that we love to talk pottery and welcome anyone that understands our love for the medium. So, when you “slide into a potter’s DMs” they are happy to interact!
MilspoFAN: What is the most practical piece of advice that you would give to other artists?
Ronnie: Art is a commitment, but it is one of the most important commitments you can make. We live in a society that demands so much of us all the time. Whether it is working full time, attending school, or raising children, we are pulled in so many directions. Art allows us to take time for ourselves, to explore who we are, to focus on creating something that brings us joy. The lessons and self-growth that come with creating art have been vital to my growth as a professional, a wife, and human. It does not come without some sacrifice though, I must make time to do it, much like working out. You must find a balance and we prioritize things differently but this something that should be prioritized. Afterall, it is not cheap to be an artist, let alone a potter, so get the most out of it. Your future self, family, friends, and mental health will thank you!
Find Ronnie online at:
Website www.shapedearthpottery.com
Instagram @shapedearthpottery
Facebook Shaped Earth Pottery