In the Studio: Kevin Willis

A few weeks ago, we took a short road trip to visit Kevin Willis at his studio in Morongo Valley—a desert town of about 3,514 residents, situated between Palm Springs and Yucca Valley in the Mojave Desert. Willis splits his time between Morongo and Los Angeles; he explains that he doesn’t like to be in one place all the time. This fluidity and ability to adapt have been key elements in Willis’s many lives and practices, and it’s difficult to write about his ceramics without considering the full context of these experiences.

After stopping in Palm Springs for lunch at a surprisingly authentic Italian deli—think muffuletta sandwiches and jars of Geleffi effervescente—we continued further into the desert. Kevin had warned us that his place was “out there”—a fitting phrase for both the geography and the vibe. After fifteen minutes on an unmaintained dirt road, we arrived at Willis’s desert pied-à-terre. We parked beside a shimmering Airstream trailer, surrounded by a graveyard of Kevin’s ceramic pieces that didn’t make the cut for one reason or another. Upon exiting the car, we were greeted by Jack, a Maine Coon cat who has lived at the desert residence for eleven years. Kevin recounted stories of Jack’s hunting prowess while ushering us into the shade of his covered outdoor ceramics studio and offering us a cold drink to combat the 108-degree dry heat.

Kevin is a storyteller, and his own story begins in Seattle, Washington, in the back rooms of record stores and punk clubs amidst the burgeoning grunge scene. After studying anthropology and ceramics, he began working as a practical effects artist in Hollywood. That experience eventually led him to produce Grammy-nominated music videos and album art for bands including Tool and Modest Mouse.

While touring the property, we were captivated by a mosaic of green glass bottles embedded in the plaster wall that forms Willis’s ceramic kiln room. Each bottle is carefully arranged in an arch, surrounding a central crown-shaped composition. The effect is reminiscent of Michael Reynolds’s Earthship homes in New Mexico.

Kevin explains that the bottles at the center of the design came from his first tequila brand, La Gritona, which he co-founded with business partner Andy Coronado and distiller Melly Barajas. Barajas, along with her staff of women, crafts the tequila at her small distillery in Valle de Guadalupe, Jalisco. By this point, it’s clear that Willis is a serial collaborator with a strong do-it-yourself ethos. “It’s just more fun to work with other people who have great ideas—and most everyone has great ideas,” he says.

This sentiment is also reflected in both Cha Cha Lounges—Willis’s two bars of the same name, located in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, and Capitol Hill, Seattle. These bars function like clubhouses for the communities that Kevin and his business partner Jeff Ofelt have built over the years. Filled with famous and aspiring musicians, artists, and creatives, everyone who walks through the door is a potential collaborator or new friend of Kevin’s.

As we finished our tour of Willis’s property, its location and environment began to make sense. His ceramic practice and the solitude of his studio represent the other half of his creative life. Whether in Los Angeles, Seattle, or Mexico, Kevin is often managing businesses or nurturing his friendships and community—but out in Morongo Valley, he has the space and stillness to focus on his first passion. Coiling or throwing sturdy stoneware vessels and mixing glazes inspired by the desert palette, each piece Willis creates is imbued with a lifetime of experiences and relationships. We left the desert with inspiring stories, a trunk full of ceramic lamps, and a new friend.

See more of Kevin's work in our shop.