Howdy! My name is Brent Gillentine. I began my journey in ceramics in middle school in Dallas, TX. I was in my art class and the teacher also happened to be the Ceramics teacher for the high school. When I asked how I could learn more about ceramics and how to use the wheel, he told me all the steps I needed to do. Once I got to high school, I got into the Ceramics class and I have been doing it off and on for the intervening 35 years.

I am married with 2 adult children. We lived in Austin for 25 years. I worked in IT, then we decided I would be the stay at home parent of note. After being around the kids’ school, I started managing their IT infrastructure and then also began teaching math and science to middle schoolers. As my children grew and started fuller lives of their own, I took the opportunity to start doing more ceramics, as it was a love I had not been able to dedicate much time to.

The past 5 years, I have been getting more serious about my work and spending more time in the studio. At the start of 2022, my wife and I moved from Austin to New York City, and I stopped teaching to focus on ceramics. I found a great studio in Brooklyn (Clay Space Studios) where I spend most of my free time.

Why shouldn’t we surround ourselves with beautiful and interesting things? When I make functional-ware (plates, bowls, etc.) and vases, I try to work with clean minimal forms and decoration, letting the form speak for itself. With my sculpture, I focus on engaging images that speak to me and tell a story.

I chose the name bEG Ceramics for 2 reasons (1) BEG are my initials and (2) my typical commute to the studio is on the E then the G train, which is why those letters are capitalized in my logo. If you have questions or would like information about commissions, please feel free to email me a beg.ceramics@gmail.com.