Jeff Oestreich: New Ceramics
Martin DeWitt, Director of the Fine Art Museum at Western comments, “I am especially pleased to announce that FAM has purchased two of Mr. Oestreich’s exquisite ceramic works for the collection, making important additions to our commitment to the finest examples of contemporary craft.” Jeff visited theWestern campus for a series of lectures and demonstrations in January 23 through February 3, as part of the Artist-in-Residence Program.
“His work is experimental, consisting of forms that are thrown on the potter's wheel and afterwards altered to make them strongly sculptural in impact,” said Joan Byrd, Western professor of art. “The decoration of his pottery reflects diverse sources including the Minoan culture of ancient Crete and 1920s French art deco.”
“Function is at my core,” says Oestreich, a former apprentice of the legendary English potter Bernard Leach. Oestreich fires his work in a wood kiln and his pottery is exhibited all over the world, most recently in Korea. Oestreich is the recipient of numerous grants and awards, including a prestigious fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts. He has given clay workshops throughout the United States and Canada, as well as in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and Venezuela.
Jeff Oestreich from Taylor Falls, Minnesota as born in St. Paul in 1947, He was introduced to ceramics by Warren MacKenzie. After receiving his BA from Bemidji State University in 1968, he was apprenticed to Bernard Leach of St. Ives, England, for two years and returned to Minnesota in 1971.
The philosophies of Leach and MacKenzie enable Oestreich to examine critically the functional aspect of art in contemporary ceramics. The commitment to utility remains a strong influence in his work but he challenges the visual and physical parameters. The artist comments, “I really encourage viewers to handle the work, get a feel for it.” Oestreich also relies on the historical influences in his glaze palette, with minimal surface decoration, often inspired by art deco design and the diverse forms and colors of nature. His firing methods often draw from Japanese and Chinese origins. Oestreich’s current work is wheel thrown and altered, either by faceting, stretching, or cutting and rejoining. The majority of the Oestreich’s pottery is salt glazed or soda fired.
Oestreich's work is included in the collections of the Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse; the Victoria and Albert Museum; the Taipei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan; and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, among many others, as well as new acquisitions by the Fine Art Museum, Western Carolina University.
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