ABOUT
I'm Jeff Amato, a ceramic artist based in NYC. I make porcelain and stoneware vessels, with a primary emphasis on functional sculpture. Most of my pieces are initially thrown on the wheel, with some altered by hand and combined into a variety of geometric shapes. I'm particularly drawn to the surfaces created in atmospheric firings, and I fire most of my work in soda and wood kilns at The Oki Doki Studio in the Hudson Valley. The combination of form, my approach to slip and glazing application, and the atmospheric firing process result in truly unique ceramic works.
Complex. Dynamic. Systematic yet random. Concepts that capture the process of making soda and wood fired ceramics. This is part of the allure of the ceramic arts, especially atmospheric firing – when all the variables at play come together to make a work intentional but with a touch of surprise.
Vessels that intersect art and function. I’m drawn to producing functional forms that add elements of creativity to our everyday lives.
Bold expression of color. I aim to produce surfaces that display varied and complex contrasts in color, texture and sheen. Surfaces that marry with the underlying form.
Diverse natural phenomena embodying a tremendous range of color and dynamic patterns are key influences on the surfaces I aim to achieve.
