Patti Warashina
Ceramicist
Seattle, WA, USA
Recommended by American Craft Council
A life in wit and clay
- Patti sculpts clay figures and paints their surfaces with fired glaze materials
- Through her figurative and narrative works, she offers a social commentary
- She describes her studio practice as essential as eating and sleeping
Patti Warashina, a Seattle-based ceramic artist, blends humour with sharp cultural commentary in her work. She earned her degrees from the University of Washington, where she later taught for 30 years, shaping generations of artists. As a full-time studio practitioner for most of her life, Patti approaches her daily practice with discipline and curiosity. "My work with ceramics is as essential to me as eating and sleeping," she says. Her pieces are often influenced by Surrealism and Funk Art, in addition to the concept of time and current news. Patti's figurative sculptures explore human behaviour with wit and insight, evolving through decades of consistent making.
INTERVIEW
Growing up, being an artist could not have been furthest from my thoughts. I entered college focusing on medical technician, but an elective drawing class led me to discovering art. After switching majors, I wanted to pursue a master's degree in art. My mother gave me her blessing, saying, 'If you love something well enough, you will do well in the future'.
While I cannot always predict what sparks curiousity, I suspect it is the figurative, humorous and narrative commentary on human nature that people find most surprising in my ceramic work.
I would say all three! I have always loved Surrealism and Funk Art. I am also a news junkie, voraciously reading two daily newspapers and obsessively listening to the news on television. These interests come through in my work.
I was never trained in figurative sculpture, but over years of studio practice, I developed a gradual fascination with human figures. Eventually, this manifested in my work as scenarios inspired by human nature.
