Douglass Rankin, along with Will Ruggles, made a line of functional, wood-fired pottery: tall jars, pitchers, platters, plates, teapots, cups, rice bowls, and serving bowls. The pots are wheel thrown or drape molded with simple decorations: sometimes plain brushwork with slip, and once-fired glazes.
Rankin and Ruggles co-owned and operated Rock Creek Pottery in North Carolina for many years. Randy Johnson, who had studied in Japan, introduced them to the Hamada-Leach-Yanagi tradition in aesthetics and production methods, which influenced Rankin and Ruggles.
In addition to being well known for their wood-fired pottery, Ruggles and Rankin held instructional workshops on kiln building, advising and helping many potters and institutions.
"Fried in other collections
TMP collaborates with the finest public and private collections of modern and contemporary American ceramics in the United States. Browse collections to learn about artists and their works. Reach out to us to become a collection partner.
Note:
These records have been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced.
Last updated: April 22, 2026
The Marks Project encourages the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. Some images may be protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights. To request permission to use an image from our website please contact info@themarksproject.org
This resource is for educational use and its contents may not be reproduced without permission. Please review our Terms of Use for more information.


