Ian Bassett
Soda Fired Stoneware, Cone 10
4.5 x 4.5 x 4.5
2020
 
Statement
My work explores simple utilitarian forms designed to be used every day. I find myself drawn to and inspired by traditional Japanese and Korean folk pottery. My pottery is a vehicle through which I seek connection to my culture while exploring traditional and contemporary pottery aesthetics more common in western cultures.
 
Soda firing provides subtle, dramatic surfaces and colors that I find to be alluring. The tension creates a balance and sense of harmony that I love exploring. I am a mark maker hoping to capture a sense of movement, rhythm and calmness through the application of slip on simple quiet forms. My designs are largely inspired by the natural world. My goal is to make pottery that is desired to be used and enjoyed by anyone
 
Biography
Ian Bassett is a visual artist and potter living in The San Francisco East Bay. He was born in Seoul, Korea and grew up in Connecticut on the Long Island Sound. He received his BFA in Ceramics from the New Hampshire Institute of Art, a Post Baccalaureate in ceramics from Hood College and his MFA in ceramics from Rochester Institute of Technology’s School for American Crafts. He has taught at Diablo Valley College, was the Studio Technician at Art Academy University and the Ceramics Studio Manager at Ox Bow School of Art and Artist Residencies. He has pursued a career in education and the arts and currently is an Adjunct Professor at Los Medanos College and teaches at Clay By the Bay in San Francisco. Ian Bassett also the Co-owner and of Applied Contemporary Craft Gallery in Oakland, CA.