DAVE SAWYER
Artist Statement
My work includes art pottery and decorative ceramic wall art. My inspiration comes from the world around us and reflects God’s great gift of nature.
Much of my ceramic work uses the Western Raku technique of firing. This technique combines the interaction of clay, glaze and fire in a rapidly changing series of environments that results in unique and often unpredictable results. I enjoy combining detailed designs with the spontaneous effects of raku glazes and firing to present elements of both structure and freedom in my pieces.
Bio
Dave was born in a small Kansas farm town and raised in Southern California. He graduated from California Polytechnic University at Pomona with a degree in Urban Planning and then began a 30-year career in city planning which took him from the sandy beaches and deserts of Southern California to the rugged coast and mountains of Washington’s Olympic Peninsula and Puget Sound.
With no formal art education or training, but having always appreciated the ceramics of the early 20th century, Dave began his own work in clay in 2008 with classes at a local artisan studio. After retiring in 2016 and moving to South Carolina, he has continued to grow and expand his artistic experience. Dave exhibits his work in his studio gallery at Artists Collective | Spartanburg in Spartanburg, South Carolina and in various shows and venues throughout the Upstate and Blue Ridge regions of the Carolinas.
Contact – dave@WildFireMudWorks.ART
Website – www.WildFireMudWorks.ART