Our Story

Hot Cold Heavy Light is a ceramics studio based in Burien, WA founded by Clinton Chambers + Rachel Reid. We met in an introductory sculpture class while attending art school in Portland, OR and have spent the last decade supporting and sharing each other's crafts + artistic pursuits. 

 

Hot Cold Heavy Light was founded in 2022 as a way to meld our artistic avocations. We are inspired by contemporary art and a love for specialty coffee. We focus on creating functional ceramics geared towards coffee along with kitchen + dining, and a wide array of artful home decor. All ceramics are handmade from start to finish in our backyard studio. We utilize local clays and ever-expanding colorways through glazes and mason stained clay.  All ceramics are either wheel thrown or handbuilt and fired to cone 6 in our kiln, Siobhan.

CLINTON CHAMBERS

Clinton’s ceramics are inspired by the perfect vessel for the occasion whether it be for an espresso or to achieve the most comfortable cortado or cappuccino vessel. He aims to strike the balance between the weight of the cup and temperature transferred to the hand.

Clinton has been working in the specialty coffee industry for over ten years and brings that knowledge into how each vessel is designed.

He loves a single origin natural [preferably Ethiopian] and while he's always learning new methods, his favorite is a pour over. When he's not crafting a coffee he can be found in the garden, fawning over his kittens, or behind the wheel in the studio.

RACHEL REID

Rachel’s ceramics are inspired by specific shape, repetition, and color. Prior to diving into ceramics Rachel spent many years as a printmaker for Gemini G.E.L. collaborating with leading contemporary artists. Much of her approach to ceramics is rooted in her foundation as a printmaker. She finds similarities between the two mediums, especially the desire to create small batch collections.

Rachel's pursuit of ceramics began in 2016 when she took an intro course at a local pottery studio. Over the years she invested more time, effort, and space into the craft: buying a wheel, setting up a home studio, and eventually learning to fire her own kiln [Siobhan the Skutt]. 

Rachel's ceramics can be found in an array of settings: her work has been exhibited in museum and galleries alongside daily use objects in people's homes. She has worked with private clients ranging from custom decor projects to functional wares in high end restaurants. 

Hot Cold Heavy Light is named after the collection of essays by the late art critic Peter Schjeldahl of the New Yorker. We are inspired by dualities inherent to our crafts and the ways in which these four words imbue meaning in both the world of coffee and the world of ceramics. We aim to create a beautiful mesh of those two worlds.