Sunday, February 17, 2008

Jiri Minarik


Shino work by Jiri Minarik

Born and raised in Czechoslovakia, I left to escape the 1968 Soviet invasion. This move started a journey, lasting several years, that took me from France to Germany and finally landing me in California, where I found a new home in the Bay Area.
Having received a graduate degree from UC Berkeley, I joined the corporate world and worked in a high tech company.
A few years later, however, my life took an unexpected twist when I accidentally set foot into a pottery studio and discovered clay. It was a love at first touch. Soon I immersed myself in the world of clay, taking art and pottery classes in the area. Shortly after that, in 1981, I quit my job and joined a ceramics coop studio, thus launching my second career as a potter.
The passion continues unabated, periodically renewed by the artistic and technical challenges and complexities of the field..Even though I spend a great deal of time experimenting , the field of ceramics is so vast that I know the best I will ever do, is just very gently scratch the surface. My most recent source of delight has been the discovery of Japanese Shino pottery.
I am constantly fascinated by the wonders of Shino glazes. While I had done quite a lot of decorative work prior to this, now I trust entirely the magic of fire to produce the final result. The outcome is always surprising and largely unpredictable, making you want to come back for more.

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