Jill Ryerson

Knitting a hat, baking bread, and throwing a bowl are activities that find their way into my life.   For as long as I can remember, I have enjoyed making things.   While I experience joy and satisfaction in a finished product, I value the process even more.   For me, the process of making an object is both calming and exhilarating at the same time.

I believe that making objects in clay comes with a heightened level of responsibility - a knit hat has a shorter lifespan than a ceramic bowl.  The permanence of ceramics causes me to pause.  I think carefully about which objects I choose to fire and have learned to let go of the others.

I began my formal training in clay as an apprentice at the Rochester Folk Art Guild in Middlesex, New York in 1997.  My experience there exposed me to a practice of being present and mindful during each stage of the making process.  This is a challenge that I continue to embrace to this day. 

email: jillryerson@gmail.com