Ann
I descended from a family run rampant with artists....specifically painters and illustrators. Growing up, my 3 brothers and I were far more capable of naming artists, past and present, than identifying the 50 states of America. From a very early age my parents indulged my every crafty or artistic whim. In college, I majored in art, experimenting in all the different art forms. After college, which I never actually graduated from, I continued to dabble in every thing that grabbed my attention....weaving, basketry, knitting, quilting, freelance illustration, and watercolor. But it wasn't until after Steve built our studio that I became serious about ceramics, 5 years ago....and now I'm hooked on it....working in the studio....with the stereo cranked.
There's something very humble about functional pottery.....that's what I love about it.....the idea of having these beautiful objects that are meant to be handled and used every day.....it makes that cup of coffee taste just a little bit better....
Steve
Raised by two academic intellectuals, a writer and a nuclear physics professor, I was an enigma....clearly adopted, with no such aspirations other than to spend endless hours playing with Legos. The educational path leading up to my career as a ceramic artist was not linear. Briefly, in order; Delhi Ag & Tech, RIT, Swain School of Design, Nazareth College, and finally, ending with an M.F.A. from Syracuse University. This all led to teaching ceramics for the last 23+ years at a local high school.
Ceramics, like teaching, for me, is all about the process...specifically the challenge of continued refinement of form and its marriage to surface. Like most atmospheric types of firing, soda firing accentuates this relationship. The end result is that no two pieces are ever the same. Therefore each firing has some mystery, uncertainty and rewards. I am content not to have total control. The kiln always has the last word.