2023 Ceramics
Joani Feiner | Adel
Bird and Boxer Pottery
FB: Bird and Boxer Pottery
IG: birdandboxerpottery
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I am a late blooming potter who has discovered the joy of creating. After retiring from a career as an airline pilot l decided to try something that utilized my atrophied left brain. I had always wanted to try pottery, so l signed up for a pottery class and created a new career. I have found that working with clay is very relaxing and fulfilling. That's after l got through the totally frustrating stage. As l make each piece I'm always thinking of how my functional pieces will look on a shelf or counter. I feel so much joy when people love my work and want to add a piece to their homes.
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Erin Hill | Altoona
Erin Hill Art Studio
FB: erinhillartstudio
IG: erinhillartstudio
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I have been working as a ceramic artist for the last five years in my in-home art studio in Altoona, IA. As I continue to explore art-making, my work is always evolving as I respond to new discoveries and allow for new ideas to take form. All of the pieces I create are individually designed and either wheel thrown or hand-built. The surface designs are often hand carved with the sgraffito process or drawn with underglazes.
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Lynsi Pasutti | Perry
Purple Star Studio
FB: thepurplestarstudio
IG: thepurplestarstudio
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Enjoying the process of hand building, I construct simple yet interesting slab and coil forms to create both functional and decorative pottery. I find beauty in nature and simple objects that have the ability to be reused and transformed into texture and surface design when pressed into clay; I incorporate prairie grasses to create miniature landscapes and thrifted doilies to mimic the intricacies of the natural world. My work tends to look 'earthy' as I have chosen to use brown clays and often celebrate the material by leaving portions unglazed. The raw clay color and texture adds another layer to a decorative piece otherwise overlooked.
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Eric Peterson | Perry
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Possessed with a natural curiosity, Eric’s interest in pottery began in high school and further developed at the Octagon Center for the Arts, in Ames, Iowa where he was able to practice and perfect his art with
hours of open studio time at his disposal. Following this training, Eric apprenticed at a local interactive outdoor museum where his hand-thrown stoneware took shape. The simplicity of both form and function became a priority for him and his work reflects that in a variety of functional stoneware and earthenware that appeal to the eye and meet practical needs. Using a variety of clay, glazes, slips, and more recently, hand-etched drawings by his wife, Betsy, Eric’s work continues to develop into a variety of forms including flowerpots made with local Dallas County clay, pitchers, mugs, bowls, porcelain dishes and whimsical ware. Eric’s experience, hard work and fine-honed skills are evident in each piece. |
Ruben Ruiz | Huxley
Deer Creek Ceramics
IG: deercreekceramics
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My fascination with nature is a major influence in my work. My aim is to create pieces that inspire a smile. It was in 2005 that I came in contact with clay for the first time, at the Irvine Fine Arts Center in California where I learned wheel throwing. The hand building part of my work is a self-taught process.
My work is made with porcelain or stoneware clay. I wheel throw most of my pieces and then either alter them, add texture, and/or create sculptural details. Each piece is individually glazed and then fired in a reduction atmosphere at temperature above 2100 degrees. |
Dan Sorensen | Swea City
Stone Cellar Pottery
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Dan graduated from Luther College with an Art Education major in 1968 with a emphasis in ceramics under Dean Schwarz. Following graduation he spent the summer at Pond Farm Pottery studying under Marguerite Wildenhain. The fall of 1968 Dan began teaching Art K-12 in the Swea City School system, met his wife Judy and they raised their family in a house with a stone foundation and Stone Cellar Pottery was born. Dan taught for 35 years retiring in 2003 and now devotes his time making pottery. Dan’s work is decorative wheel thrown stoneware, and follows the Bauhaus tradition of form follows function.
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Kate Trimble | Dallas Center
Cattle Shed Pottery
FB: Cattle Shed Pottery
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Kate has been experimenting and honing her pottery skills since the early 80s. Her wheel thrown, functional pottery is supplemented with hand built sculptures inspired by a lifetime of traveling and living around the world. After graduating from the University of Illinois with a B.F.A, Kate began a long teaching career. Cattle Shed Pottery was founded in 2008 with a move back to the farm in Dallas Center, IA. Kate believes pottery needs to be seen, felt, held and used - searching for beauty and originality in functional pottery.
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