RefiningFocus by Joseph Pintz August 2, 2022

Refining
Focus by Joe Pintz

Statement
This Maker Focus show by Joe Pintz is an introduction to a new body of work that he is developing in preparation for a Maker Focus show in 2023. While Joe has worked in low fire earthenware clays for a number of years, he is introducing low fire soda firing into his process. His process starts with hand building into a series of molds, adding hand built details, and then carving and refining his robust forms into highly utilitarian pottery. This body of work celebrates Joe's strong interest in form and function, and offers a glimpse into his exploration of materials and firing processes.

Biography
Joseph Pintz’s functional and sculptural ceramic work explores the role that domestic objects play in fulfilling our physical and emotional needs. Inspired by his Midwestern roots, Pintz often recreates hand tools and other seemingly mundane objects. In the process, the dense meaning of these objects is transferred into clay. Pintz earned his BA in anthropology and urban studies at Northwestern University. After graduation, he taught in an inner-city school through Teach for America. He received his MFA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He also was a resident artist and Lincoln Fellow at the Archie Bray Foundation. In 2009, he received an Emerging Artist award from the National Council in Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA). Pintz was awarded an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award for 2011. His work has been shown internationally and he is Assistant Professor of Art at the University of Missouri.