Jeffrey Pray

An artist in ceramics, in all my years, I have never made the same piece twice. I am fascinated by the spontaneous permanence of ceramics, and search for the balance between the skill of the artist, and the randomness of the materials and the firing process. Each piece represents a snapshot in time and cannot be duplicated. My work tends to be larger than most, and I push the envelope to the very extreme in every piece to illustrate the fine balance between success and failure. I rarely if ever trim the piece as a secondary technique on green clay only disrupts the original intent. I want the pieces to be raw, to show how they were made and to give each piece a compelling personality that builds a relationship with the viewer over time.

Arizona State University, ceramics program. Most of my work has been done in different programs such as Radcliff studios in Cambridge, and for the past 2 decades in my personal studio in Vermont.