Collection: Hand to Hand Clayworks by Barbara Piscioneri

Barbara Piscioneri grew up on Long Island, New York, moved to the big city to get a BFA (Fine Arts) from the School of Visual Arts, then headed west to Seattle which is now home.  She has worked many years here as an Arts Educator at Children’s Institute for Learning Differences where she shares her passion for traditional art making, building with cardboard, and gardening with her students.  Although she is skilled working in many materials, clay has always been a favorite. Her hand-built functional ceramic pieces allow her to find a good balance of purposeful work and play.

“I love visual patterns and textures found in nature, fabrics, architecture, and everyday objects. I take note of how hard edges and organic shapes transition back and forth, collecting them visually in my head. I notice the traffic lines painted on streets going from solid to dashes, on straight roads and around curves. I take note of the back of the car in front of me, the corrugated roof of my chicken coop, power lines, the textures of leaves and flowers of a garden. I reflect on these as I paint visual stories on my mugs, plates, spoons and butter dishes.”