I am a ceramic artist raised on the western plains of Colorado. In 1982 I moved to Los Angeles, CA where I continue to live. I began studying ceramics at my High school in Greeley Colorado in 1972 for four years until 1976 at Aims Community College and completed my MS at National University in 1999.

Currently I am a life long learner and continue to take ceramics class at the Glendale Community College, CA since 2007 and work full time as a ceramic artist out of my studio at home. I sell most of my work informally to other artists and local venues and along the Pacific Coast of California.

Artist Statement

The purpose of my art is found in the experience of creating it. I best express my emotions with my hands by sculpting clay and most enjoy creating vessels that simulate a depth of beauty I find are abundant in the textures of earth and trees.

I utilize two juxtaposing techniques; first is born of conventional hand built or thrown pottery that I carve to look like driftwood. The second technique I call the “Tectonic Method,” an unconventional responsive process where I pre-texture the clay with specialized tools then toss the slab against the table top to create complex “Tectonic Forms and Textures.”

My specialized texturing tools are hand-made and are a vital element in my work. I make most of my tools to meet the need of the moment; they are the unseen part of my creative effort and hold the secrets to my techniques. I manufacture and sell my specialized tools under the name of "David Clay Tools," and sell them on my website at DavidClayTools.com.

I use only muted earth tones in my glazing so that bold colors do not complicate and distract from the bold statements already present in the overstated texture. More so, earth tones are calming to me and evoke feelings I enjoy when I am surrounded by nature.

I think a piece has turned out well when it portrays a depth of beauty that evokes emotion on a variety of levels; it is an appreciation that can only be experienced with sustained attention. Little is gained from my work with a mere glance. For example, I don’t make Campbell’s soup cans, but if I did they would be opened, crushed, and rusty to the point the label could barely be read. I do make tree-stump teapots that I call “Tree-pots”; vessels that tell a story in their crooked branches and exposed grain. A tree stump is a deeply beautiful thing to me and making vessels and sculptures in their likeness gives me great satisfaction.