Joey Serim

I am a potter who makes functional and decorative ceramics that translate my love of clay into graceful objects for daily use, special occasions, and contemplative moments. My intention is that they bring joy to the user during life's everyday rituals - eating, drinking, flower arranging, and enhancing one's home. I am inspired by the many great ceramic artists, both Western and Eastern who came before, sharing their aesthetics, their vast knowledge, and their visions for how this humble, malleable material born of the earth, can be shaped into endless forms. I never cease to be amazed by the transformation of a soft lump of clay into a lovely cup or bowl. I continue to be mesmerized by the alchemy that occurs when clay, copper, salt, wood, and organic matter dance with fire to produce extraordinary, spontaneous, one-of-a-kind raku and pit-fired vessels. I will always be amazed by the joy that clay creates for the maker and the admirer.

I took my first pottery class in 1978, at the home of a wonderful local potter who introduced me to wheel throwing, hand building, and a wide range of surface techniques. For the next 20 years, I was a happy dabbler - in time "stolen" from teaching students with learning disabilities and raising kids, I took classes and many workshops, practiced throwing in my tiny basement studio, experimented and problem solved, developed some really bad habits, and made some decent work that I enjoy to this day. In 1999, my husband and I moved our family to Santa Fe, New Mexico. As soon as I settled in, I began studying in earnest at Santa Fe Clay, a fabulous studio and gallery in the Santa Fe Railyard. For the next 17 years, I learned from some of the best instructors and world-renowned masters, who taught an almost unimaginable array of techniques, styles, and perspectives. I worked hard to develop my "voice", carefully choosing the clays, forms, glazes, and firing techniques that resonated with my aesthetic. I have been fortunate to continue my learning and evolution, spending a great deal of my time with my hands in clay, honing my art. I always feel humbled and inspired by the great ceramic artists, past and present, and am grateful to all those who appreciate my work enough to invite it into their homes, and make it part of their lives.

3-D, Ceramics, Sculpture