Nate Winter Studios

Nate Winter Studios I'm a ceramic artist and musician exploring the intersection of fire, creativity, and storytelling. I’m also the creator of the Center Yourself podcast.
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I specialize in the Raku firing process through workshops, kiln building, and online courses.

08/10/2026

You learn more from making 1,000 pots than trying to make one perfect one.

In this episode of Center Yourself, host Nate Winter explains to B. Aull of Aull That Entertainment | Maine Event & Wedding DJ one of the philosophies he loves most about working with clay.

If a piece isn’t going the way you hoped, there’s no harm in crushing it, starting over, and trying again. The goal isn’t to become attached to every attempt. It’s to learn something from each one.

That philosophy extends far beyond the pottery wheel. Progress comes from repetition, experimentation, failure, and being willing to begin again without treating every setback like a loss.

Make the pot. Learn from it. Start again.

For the full episode, visit the link in bio. 🌀

I’m excited to invite you out for an evening of free live Raku firing demonstrations in Oxford, Maine, and to help us ki...
08/10/2026

I’m excited to invite you out for an evening of free live Raku firing demonstrations in Oxford, Maine, and to help us kick off something much bigger.

On Wednesday, August 19th, I’ll Raku firing pottery from 4:00 to 8:00 PM at the Beer Garden while the Mauricio Handler team captures footage for the announcement trailer for my upcoming documentary exploring the history and 400-year journey of Raku.

oxbowbeergarden has generously allowed us to use this beautiful space to film, so we decided to open the firings up to the public too.

Come hang out, watch pieces get pulled glowing hot from the kiln, experience the Raku process firsthand, ask me anything you’d like, and get a behind-the-scenes look as we begin bringing this documentary to life.

📍 420 Main St., Oxford, Maine
📅 Wednesday, August 19th
🔥 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
🌧️ Rain Date: Thursday, August 20th
🎟️ FREE + ALL AGES

A huge thank you to Tim Adams and betulalenta for allowing us to use this incredible space to film. I’d love to see you there, share some Raku with you, and have you be part of the beginning of this project. 🔥

And believe it or not, you can still make flyers by hand without using AI slop. 😂

08/09/2026

Day 5 | Part 2 of my Raku firing and kiln building residency at Pocosin Arts in Columbia, North Carolina.

After all the excitement from the firings earlier in the day, it was finally time to open the reduction chambers and reveal the results. This is always my favorite part of the entire process. We uncovered an incredible range of finishes, from brilliant copper carbonate rainbows and vibrant oxidized greens to rich metallic reds and beautiful white crackle pieces. Even though many students started with the same materials and glazes, every piece emerged with its own unique character.

For me, this is what a residency like this is all about. Watching students leave with not only finished work they’re proud of, but also the confidence to continue exploring these techniques on their own, is one of the most rewarding parts of teaching. We wrapped up the week by touring the other studios around campus, taking one final group photo, and saying our goodbyes before I made the 15-hour drive back home to Maine. A huge thank you to Pocosin Arts for their incredible hospitality, and to every student who made this an unforgettable week.

If you’d like to learn more about Raku firing and kiln building, comment “RAKU” and I’ll help you get started.

08/08/2026

🔥 WE HAVE A WINNER! 🔥

Thank you to everyone who participated in my Raku Firing Kiln Giveaway! Across all platforms, we received an astounding 3,824 total entries over the last month.

I’m excited to announce that the randomly selected winner of the complete Raku firing kiln package is… Tyree Dworak Art 🥳🎉🎊

Congratulations! I’m so excited for you to put this kiln to use alongside your beautiful sculptures and ceramic work. I’m happy to see it going to a great home, and I can’t wait to see what you create with it!

A huge thank you to everyone who entered. These giveaways have been a lot of fun, and I’m always looking for new ways to give back and bring value to this ever-growing ceramics community, so stay tuned for more opportunities in the future.

If you didn’t win but are interested in owning one of these Raku kilns, comment below or send me a message to learn more about building or acquiring one for your personal practice, studio, or ceramics program.

Thank you again to all 3,824 of you who entered! 🙏🏼🫶🏼

08/08/2026

Day 5 | Part 1 of my Raku firing and kiln building residency at Pocosin Arts in Columbia, North Carolina.

This is what we’d all been building toward all week. We kicked off the morning by preparing our reduction chambers, loading the kilns, and bringing the homemade Raku kilns up to approximately 1,850°F. Once the glazes reached maturity, it was finally time to open the kilns and reveal the glowing red-hot pottery before carefully transferring each piece into reduction chambers, where the flames and smoke create Raku’s signature colors and finishes. We also demonstrated white crackle and smoke firing techniques throughout the day.

By the end of the firing, we’d completed four kiln loads and successfully fired every piece made during the residency using two of the kilns we’d built earlier in the week. With temperatures climbing to 104 degrees and intense humidity, it was one of the most physically demanding firing days I’ve ever experienced, but seeing everyone’s excitement as they experienced their first Raku firing made every minute worth it. Stick around for the final recap, where we’ll reveal all of the finished pieces.

If you’d like to learn more about Raku firing and kiln building, comment “RAKU” and I’ll help you get started.

08/07/2026

Day 4 | Part 2 of my Raku firing and kiln building residency at Pocosin Arts in Columbia, North Carolina.

After building all three Raku kilns earlier in the day, we spent the afternoon unloading the bisque kiln and preparing every piece for glazing. Everyone applied wax resist and tape before choosing between a copper carbonate Raku glaze or a classic white crackle glaze, and it was exciting to see all of the work finally coming together after several days of making.

Once the glazing was finished, we took a break to enjoy a gallery opening featuring artists from Pocosin Arts, complete with live music, great conversations, and another incredible dinner prepared by Chef therealdill1991. Later that evening, I glazed a few of my own experimental pieces before cleaning the bottoms of every pot and loading everything onto the final glaze carts. After four days of throwing, trimming, kiln building, bisque firing, and glazing, everything was finally ready for tomorrow’s Raku firing.

If you’d like to learn more about Raku firing and kiln building, comment “RAKU” and I’ll help you get started.

08/07/2026

If you can move a crowd of 10 people, you can move a crowd of 1,000.

In this episode of Center Yourself, B. Aull of Aull That Entertainment | Maine Event & Wedding DJ talks about why confidence isn’t something you’re born with. It’s something you earn by showing up consistently.

Some of the biggest lessons don’t come from performing in front of massive crowds. They come from the small rooms where nobody knows your name and you still choose to bring the same energy. Those moments are where you learn how to connect, command attention, and sharpen your craft.

Whether it’s 10 people or 10,000, every audience deserves your best. The habits you build when the room is small are the same habits that prepare you for the biggest stages.

What’s the smallest audience that’s taught you the biggest lesson? Let me know in the comments, and for the full episode, visit the link in bio. 🌀

08/06/2026

Day 4 | Part 1 of my Raku firing and kiln building residency at Pocosin Arts in Columbia, North Carolina.

Today was all about building Raku kilns. Together, we built three from the ground up, one for Pocosin Arts to continue teaching future workshops, one for my assistant Christian Casas to bring back to his community in Ohio, and one for demonstrations during the residency. Everyone had the chance to get hands-on experience installing ceramic fiber, fabricating the lids, fitting the Venturi burners, and learning the small construction details that make these kilns safer, more durable, and longer lasting.

After another incredible lunch from Chef therealdill1991, we finished lining the kilns, applied Kaowool rigidizer, and completed the final construction steps. By the end of the day, all three kilns were built and ready for tomorrow’s firing. It was a long, hot day working in 100-degree heat with high humidity, but seeing three finished kilns ready to fire made every drop of sweat worth it.

If you’d like to learn more about Raku firing and kiln building, comment “RAKU” and I’ll help you get started.

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Portland, ME
04101, 04102, 04103, 04104, 04108, 04109, 04112, 04116, 04122, 04123, 04124

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