Meet Vicki
I am a Studio Artist at
Moshier Community Art Center in Burien, Washington, south of the city of
Seattle. At Moshier I teach beginning and intermediate wheel
throwing classes, produce my own work, and fire the reduction kiln.
My work, particularly the
surface decoration, is inspired by the colors and textures found in nature
(with my love of Japanese and Italian ceramics as a contributing factor).
I am passionate about, challenged and delighted by, and fulfilled in my
work. Each piece is unique.
I also collaborate with local painter and illustrator,
Kristin Love. I've made some functional and decorative pieces for
her to paint with many layers of brilliant underglazes. These pieces
are colorful and unique. You can see some of this lovely
work at
Love Art
Works.
When I began my work here
in the Seattle area, I created Millennia Antica Pottery - ancient
millennium. Following are some locations in the Seattle area where my work is exhibited and sold:
Full Moon Art Gallery, Gig Harbor,
WA
Moshier
Community Art Center, Burien, WA
Vicki's Background
I have been making pots for
many years and have trained with some extraordinary potters, including Warren MacKenzie, Karen Karnes, Rose Lee, Jim Gremel, Graham Stevens,
and more recently Joyce Michaud and Tony Clennell . I successfully built my reputation as an artist through shows
and gallery openings in Northern California until late 1989. The
patrons who collect my work have brought it to Japan, New Zealand,
Australia, Brazil, Italy, and many areas of the United States.
I was the Resident Artist
at Earthworks in West Seattle for 2 years, and had the pleasure of working
with the owner of Earthworks, Paul Supplee. After Earthworks closed
in September 2002, I moved to the Moshier Community Art Center.
When I first took ceramics
and pottery classes many years ago, our instructor took the class to the
Asian Art Museum in San Francisco. I was hooked - I fell in love
with Japanese pottery, particularly the folk pottery produced in Mashiko.
I learned about Shoji Hamada and Bernard Leach, and set out to ascertain
what was behind this particular kind of expression - pristine simplicity
and poetic. I learned everything I could about what actually went
into the production of a piece of pottery, and I said I would go to
Mashiko. Thirty years later, I did. In April 2002, I had the
pleasure of accompanying my husband, Dennis, to Japan. One of the
things we did there was to visit Mashiko. Shoji Hamada lived and worked
there for many years - his home, workspace, kilns and reference collection
museum are still there. Visiting this place was extraordinary - I
was in tears a good part of the time. Inspiring is, I think, the
word I am looking for. In the middle of Mashiko on April 20, 2002, I
was returned to what it was that had me want to be a potter in the
beginning - working with the 4 elements (air, earth, fire and water) to
create an expression closely tied to the earth and
brimming with life.
In the summer of 1983, I
participated in a workshop with Warren MacKenzie at
Big Creek Pottery in
Davenport, California, near Santa Cruz. His work is heavily
influenced by Hamada and Leach. During this workshop, I made a
lidded jar
- my "loosen up" project. It was the first one,
reminiscent of a Japanese lantern. I still have that jar - Warren
coached me through it. And I have considered Warren MacKenzie my
mentor since that time. In September 2007, I had the privilege of
being in a workshop at Red Lodge Clay Center with Warren. It was amazing!
Being with him, watching him work and listening to him talk with all of
us, it could have been 1983! He will be 89 in 2013 and is still
going strong.
West Seattle
December 2012
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