Andi Reese Ceramics

I’ve had a creative bent since I can remember. I loved any book I could find that showed how to make things. Art classes and opportunities to participate in any activity or class where I could learn about glue, paper, clay, metal, etc., has been a lifelong theme. If I had been true to myself, I should have chosen art, in some form, as a college degree. But, alas, it wasn’t really encouraged, and so I took different paths toward earning a living. Through all of that, however, was always the desire to create things that others found interesting or useful. I started off around 1990 using beads to make jewelry (think “stringing beads as a gateway drug.” I explored different techniques to make new and different types of jewelry. Taking classes, and then taking the skills in different directions always led me forward. Several years ago, I had the good fortune to “babysit” a friend’s kiln when she moved into an apartment in which she couldn’t store it. That opened up a new chapter for me in a medium I absolutely loved when I was in high school. I started off trying to find ways to make beads and other jewelry components (I still do this periodically when my other muses take vacations). I have explored hand-building in ceramics intensively, trying to find a niche that is unique. Although my intellectual desire to be a serious sculptor is still a driver, I’ve discovered that I have a “gift” for whimsy – I suspect my friends and family knew that long before I found out… Anyway, I’m still gratified when my work brings smiles to others – we need more of that in our lives.