KOBO Seattle | since 1995
My pottery interest was first inspired by the Arts & Crafts resurgence in the USA in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Enrolled at the University of California at Santa Cruz in the mid-1970’s, I focused on pottery & East Asian Studies and earned a BA degree. Soon after, in 1982, I went to Japan where I studied pottery for about 4 years in the Mino area (Tajimi City and surroundings) near Nagoya, primarily with artist/ potter Yoshihiko Yoshida.
I work within these existing traditions of high-fire stoneware pottery. The challenge for me going forward is to find my own expression, which translates into a continuous investigation and refinement of forms, surfaces, and the kiln firing process.
Just as people age and may provide lessons for life, so too does pottery that is still with us after many centuries. An old bowl from China held in the hand can tell a potter much about his craft. I live in the contemporary world with city and forest nearby, with local clay and ash to add to the mix, and strive to make things meaningful for this time and place.
Education
1977 Earned BA Degree from University of California, Santa Cruz
(dual major in Arts & Crafts/History and East Asian Studies-Chinese)
1982 – 1987 Studied pottery for 4 years in the Tajimi region, Gifu Prefecture, working 3 of those years as apprentice to Yoshihiko Yoshida.
Studio Milestones
1990 Established Pincus Pottery Studio in Aloha, OR.
2001 Moved the studio to current location in hills of NW Portland, OR.
2005 Built Skyline Kiln (Palmquist design/construction), a single-chamber wood-fire kiln designed to fire in about 36 hours. Skyline Kiln is usually fired 2 times per year, in the spring and fall. In addition, a separate gas kiln is fired more frequently throughout the year.
1988 – 2017 Have participated yearly in Ceramic Showcase, a major pottery exhibition put on by Oregon Potters Association; Also show at a limited number of galleries in the Pacific Northwest and online.
Collections -- Portland Japanese Garden
-- Oregon Jewish Museum
-- American Museum of Ceramic Art (AMOCA, Pamona, CA)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenpincus/
Email: kenpincus@comcast.net
