“To divine the significance of pattern is the same as to understand beauty itself.”
-Soetsu Yanagi
Born in Allentown Pennsylvania, Jeff spent his childhood building model cars and getting a feel for clay. His interest piqued when he took a college level ceramic class in High school, which then led him to go on to art school. With a BFA at the Cleveland Institute of Art in Cleveland, OH he furthered his education and received his MFA at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, in Edwardsville, IL. He has gone on to teaching ceramics at multiple locations and his work has been exhibited throughout the United States in exhibitions and the highest quality craft shows and art festivals. Jeff has maintained a studio in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania since 1988.
Inspired by historical ceramics, primarily Japanese and Chinese but all cultures as well, his ceramic idols include Ogata Kenzan, Shoji Hamada, Michael Simon and Clary Illian. When looking at his pots you can clearly see his love for Chiyogami - the hand printed papers of Japan. His now deceased parents and early teachers, Bill Clark and Joe Zeller, as well as Dan Anderson, after graduate school, supported Jeff throughout his ceramicist career.