Andrew Sartorius

Artist Statement

I create objects for everyday ceremony; pots that draw the viewer into their surfaces and invite touch, use, and visual investigation. My studio practice is informed by functional pottery traditions with an emphasis on the enthusiastic exploration of local materials, process, and form. The labor intensive process of wood firing lends itself to creating deep, layered, surfaces that give vitality to the wild clays I use. The kiln is my collaborator, a trusted but pleasantly unpredictable partner lending its voice to mine to create something both of a time long ago, today, and tomorrow.

Artist Bio

Originally from Parkersburg, West Virginia, Andrew graduated from the College of Wooster with a BA in English literature. Andrew worked as a high school English teacher in Kochi prefecture, Japan for four years. While in Japan, Andrew taught himself how to throw on a potter’s wheel and immersed himself in the history of Japanese ceramics. He returned to America to apprentice with Jeff Shapiro. Andrew graduated with a Master’s in Fine Art focused in ceramics from State University of New York at New Paltz. Andrew is the Program Manager and lead instructor at The Oki Doki Studio in Germantown, NY where he continues to create, wood fire, and build community.