oogling the inimitable ceramicist Patti Warashina , you find pages of results . You see links on in-depth essays , scholastic writings , interviews , reviews , and even several full biographical hardcover editions deep-diving every period of her extensive nearly six-decade career , like the American Museum of Ceramic Art ’ s book titled “ Wit and Wisdom , Patti Warashina ” ( 2012 ), or the 2021 book published by John Natsoulas Press simply titled “ Patti Warashina .” Patti ’ s work has garnered well-earned recognition for more years than most of us can hope to succeed at anything . Therefore , when I interviewed Patti recently , I was not sure what to expect . However , she graciously accepted my admission of minimal knowledge in ceramics . Her ready smile and easy manner bridged the gap and we proceeded .
Personal knowledge of the technical aspects of the medium aside , this art appreciator ’ s eye would not — could not deny — the skill , intellect , innovation , and even rebellion of this incredibly gifted artist ’ s work . It made me want to know a lot more about the person behind the cheeky ceramic works . Yes , Patti is a highly accredited and recognized ceramicist . Her career has seen her work in installations and retrospectives at some of the most exclusive , honored institutions in the country . In 1994 she was elected to the American Craft Council of Fellows ; in 2014 Patti was awarded the “ Distinguished Educator Award ” by the James Renwick Alliance / Smithsonian Institute ; in 2018 she was awarded a Fellowship by the United States Artists , and in 2020 she won the Visionary Award from the Smithsonian Craft Show , just to name a few . Honestly there are so many to list it ’ s hard to select which ones to highlight , yet she is reticent to acknowledge her accomplishments .
Upon introduction , I struggled to reconcile this soft-spoken , warm , and by all appearances conservative person with the artist ’ s body of work . However , as we moved into what drew her to working with clay , the artist revealed herself . “ Once I took a throwing class on the wheel , I was totally mesmerized with how to control the material . It was over for me then . I was so challenged with how to scale the clay to heights and push the boundaries of the material . The combination of these ideas fascinated me .” She adds , “ Ceramics is multi-dimensional . Not only do you have to learn to control the three dimension of it , but you also have the surface to contend with . That ’ s what makes it even more difficult and intriguing . When I was taking classes , I was encouraged to take painting because we were required to decorate the surface , not just dip it in glaze .”
Having completed her Bachelor and Master of Fine Arts at University of Washington in the late 50s , early 60s , I was curious whether Patti was faced with overcoming the “ traditional ” methodology of working with clay . Her response to this question included , “ Abstract expressionism was finding its stride in New York during my education . The artist Peter Voulkos ’ treatment of clay was like how the New York expressionists treated paint . He influenced the clay movement more dynamically than anybody else that I can think of .” She went on to say that Voulkos was a macho dude that attracted male counterparts that drove the movement forward . Following Peter , Bob Arneson , another macho dude , was an amazing West Coast artist whose influence helped shape the figurative trend in clay . These two artists were pivotal during the onset of funk art . “ I feel the clay movement really started from the work coming out of the San Francisco Bay area at that time ,” Patti reflected . Following these influences , several artists travelled to University of Washington to become educators . Pivotal to Patti were Harold Myers ( a protégé of Voulkos ), Rudy Autio , Shōji Hamada , and Robert Sperry , who , much later , she married . Myers brought into his instruction the funk art influence and innovation . This allowed a natural progression away from traditional clay work for Patti .
After hearing Patti mention the macho physicality of clay work , I realized she was probably faced with overcoming more than just the traditional expectations of the medium , but also the traditional expectations of a woman in the field . I asked if she struggled to overcome expectations early in her career with being a petite female artist as well as overcoming the “ norms ” of clay work at the time . I read to her a quote from Rebecca Romani who wrote the introduction for the “ Patti Warashina ” book . Rebecca mentions that clay appealed to Patti ’ s “ lurking rebel and clever individualist .”
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