Ceramic artist

Wayne Higby is an acclaimed ceramic artist, beloved Professor of Ceramic Art at Alfred University, and Director of the Alfred University Ceramic Museum. Wayne Higby was born in 1943 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He received his BFA from the University of Colorado/Boulder in 1966. The landscapes of his youth were a lasting influence in his life and work.

Ephraim Pottery's Kevin Hicks tells us about the collaborative studio he founded, "Right now is a profound time of appreciation. My studio has spent the last 24 years refining our collaboration model and the mood in the studio is dynamic and thriving. The future seems as wide open as it has ever been."

The potter's life as lived by Gerry Williams was exceptional. Gerry Williams will always be remembered for his outstanding contributions to the field of ceramics.

Forty years of innovative ceramic work began with functional earthenware made with red clay he dug from New Hampshire's mudflats. Always changing and evolving, his lifetime body of work includes red earthenware, porcelain, and stoneware; gas-fired and wood-fired; functional ware, sculptural forms, wall plagues, and bold political sculpture. His original research in wet fire technique and his photo resist technique were groundbreaking.

Co-founding both Studio Potter and Phoenix Workshops with his wife Julie in 1972, the Williams were able to share Gerry's love of and enthusiasm for our humble medium worldwide. A potter's life well lived, indeed.

It’s spring but it’s hard to know what to do some days in these times of COVID-19. With social distancing and the complete disruption of our work and play schedules, some days are just plain difficult. Here in our local community, we have found ways to take care of each other and to make sure people at risk are getting what they need while confined to their houses. We've included links to resources.

“That was the nice thing about clay,” he said. “If you didn’t like the way something really was, you could always fix it up,”

The exuberant, playful work of David James Gilhooly made him an international sensation in the late 60s through the early 80s. His whimsical ceramic creations began with animals, including zebras and anteaters, and then there were frogs, lots and lots of frogs.

Born into a long lineage of accomplished, traditional pueblo potters in 1970, Cavan Gonzales has added his unique 21st-century interpretation. He has been a leader in the revival of San Idelfonso polychrome pottery. This technique involves the application of three or more layers of colored slip to create designs. Cavan's fine graphic arts skills have been applied to creating new designs inspired not only from the past but also the present by adding elements of technology such as solar energy.

“This technique provides a wide range of bright, sharp colors. More importantly, I feel the majolica technique best allows me to convey the kind of attitude or feeling I want my pottery to invoke – that is one of lightheartedness.”

Stanley Mace Andersen’s functional earthenware tableware certainly achieves his goal. The exuberance of his flowing brushstrokes creates a rush of good feelings, like a walk through a meadow on a perfect summer day.

In England, where Richard Batterham was born in 1936, he is considered the leading living maker of domestic stoneware. It’s a reputation that has been made by a life spent diligently working with discipline and talent to perfect his functional forms and lovely muted glazes.

Interested in craft and design from a young age, Richard studied at the Bryanston School. He was taught pottery by Donald Potter who had worked with Eric Gill and Michael Cardew. After his National Service, he apprenticed with Bernard Leach at St. Ives for two years. He married Dinah Dunn in 1959, and they set up housekeeping in Durweston, Dorset.

Fifteen years after graduating from High School, Tom Guell returned to the pottery wheel that he had loved so much during a senior year Independent Study in Pottery. He tells us about his journey juggling a full-time job as a union ironworker, a young family, and aspiring potter in rural Wisconsin.

A Rich and Rewarding Life