Pat Clapsaddle
The majority of my ceramic work is thrown and assembled terracotta clay. The surface work is hand painted majolica on a black ground with sgraffito contour lines and textures. The subjects range from faces, animals/fish/birds/insects to landscapes, flowers and still-life. My surface work is the flora and fauna representative of the areas I live in or visited. My tile work is also created in majolica using the same painting and sgraffito technique.
Workshops under the direction of Dee Schaad from University of Indianapolis, David Gamble of AMACO, Kelly King and Laura Ross from the Potters Council in Cincinnati have made an impact on my current work in form, surface and structure. From the influence of these instructors I now integrate majolica surface design, hand-built forms and shape alteration on my wheel thrown pottery. What you see today is from their influence.
